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UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
AT   LOS  ANGELES 


IN    KINGS'   HOUSES 


" « TAKE    HER,    MASTER    ROBIN,    SHE   IS    YOURS. 

(Pate  iS8.) 


In  Kings'  Houses 

A  Romance  of  the  Days  of  Queen  Anne 


BY 

JULIA    C.    R.    DORR 

Author  of  '•'•Poems"  "  The  Flower  of  Englanifs  Face" 
" A   Cathedral  Pilgrimage"  etc. 


Illustrated  by 
FRANK     T.      MERRILL 


BOSTON      *      L.      C.       PAGE 
6-     COMPANY      *     MDCCCCIII 


Copyright,  1898 
BY  L.  C.  PAGE  AND  COMPANY 

(INCORPORATED) 
All  rights  reserved 


Colonial 

Eloctrotyped  and  Printed  by  C.  H.  Slmonds  &  Co. 
Boston.  U.S.  A. 


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LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

" '  TAKE  HER,  MASTER  ROBIN,  SHE  is  YOURS  '  "  Frontispiece 
ROBIN  AND  GLOSTER  IN  THE  GARDEN  ...  52 
GLOSTER,  ROBIN,  AND  LITTLE  LADY  IN  THE  LIBRARY  141 

ROBIN  AND  LORD  WEYMOUTH 231 

w    "HE  DREW  HIS  PISTOL  FROM  HIS  BELT1'    .        .        .    273 

& 

ii     IN  THE  HOSPITAL 295 

z 

3 

2 

o 
o 

CO 


300577 


IN    KINGS'   HOUSES. 


CHAPTER   I. 

"  NAY,  but  tell  me,  granny  !  Think  you  the  King 
will  ride  to-day  ? " 

Dame  Dorothy  laughed  as  she  drew  out  the  shin 
ing  flax,  and  then  let  it  coil,  a  fine  silver  thread, 
around  the  spindle.  Robin  watched  the  process  as 
he  sat  on  the  floor  at  her  feet,  and  in  the  inter 
est  of  the  moment  he  almost  forgot  the  unanswered 
question. 

Yet  the  sight  was  by  no  means  unfamiliar.  It 
seemed  to  the  child  that  Dame  Dorothy  was  always 
spinning,  spinning.  But  presently  he  bethought  him. 

"You  do  not  tell  me,"  he  cried,  impatiently. 
"Will  the  King  ride  to-day?" 

The  dame  dropped  the  thread,  and  drew  the  child 
closer  to  her  side. 

"  The  King  ?  Truly,  I  know  not.  How  should  I  ? 
He  may  ride,  if  it  pleases  him,  and  then  again  he 


12  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

may  not.  If  it  be  damp,  or  the  east  wind  blows, 
he  may  choose  to  stay  by  the  fire,  and  smoke  his 
Dutch  pipe.  Rheumatism  is  no  respecter  of  per 
sons,  my  lad." 

"  But  you  should  know  all  about  it,  granny,  —  you 
who  have  lived  in  king's  houses.  Who  should  know 
better  than  you  if  the  King  be  likely  to  ride  or  no? " 

Dame  Dorothy  laughed  again,  rumpling  the  child's 
dark  curls,  and  then  smoothing  them  down  with 
a  tender  touch.  She  gave  him  a  swift  kiss,  and 
resumed  her  spinning  before  answering  this  last 
remark. 

"  « In  kings'  houses  ? '  Faith,  I  see  it  behooves 
one  to  be  careful  of  speech  with  such  sharp  ears 
about.  But,  laddie,  I  know  naught  of  the  King. 
He  is  not  at  the  castle  now.  Tis  said  he  likes 
not  Windsor  since  Queen  Mary  died  ;  and  God 
knows  he  liked  it  none  too  well  before." 

The  child  sighed.  "  Who  is  at  the  castle  then,  if 
it  be  not  the  King  ?  For  when  we  carried  the  eggs 
to  market  this  morning,  Betty  Macthorne  marvelled 
much  at  the  many  flags  a-flying,  and  I  saw  great 
clouds  of  smoke  coming  from  the  big  chimneys  of 
the  kitchen  and  scullery." 

"No  doubt,  no  doubt,  my  Robin.  But  there  are 
mouths  enow  to  be  filled  at  the  castle,  —  mouths  of 
great  folk  and  small  folk,  —  whether  the  King  be 
there  or  no.  It  is  not  he  does  all  the  eating." 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  1 3 

Then  a  sudden  thought  striking  her,  she  turned  to 
the  child  so  sharply  that  her  thread  broke. 

"  But  why  do  you  ask  about  the  King  ? "  she  said. 
"  What  matters  it  to  you  whether  he  ride  or  no  ? 
The  King  knows  naught  of  you,  nor  you  of  him." 

"  He  knows  naught  of  me,"  answered  the  boy, 
slowly  twirling  a  shred  of  flax  between  his  fingers. 
"But  last  even-song  I  heard  the  priest  — " 

The  child's  voice  died  away,  and  he  sat  gazing 
thoughtfully  into  the  fire. 

"Well,"  said  the  grandmother,  after  a  pause, 
"  what  about  the  priest  ?  " 

"Granny,"  was  the  irrelevant  answer,  "tell  me 
about  the  King's  daughter." 

"  The  King's  daughter  ?  The  King  has  no 
daughter  to  my  knowledge.  But  what  about  the 
priest  ? " 

"  Why,  at  even-song,  last  night,  he  said  the  King 
had  a  crown  of  pure  gold  on  his  head.  And  one 
other  day  he  spake  of  the  King's  daughter.  He 
said  she  was  all  glorious,  and  that  her  kirtle  was 
of  wrought  gold.  I  never  saw  a  king,  nor  a  prin 
cess,"  he  went  on,  plaintively.  "But  you,  granny, 
you  have  lived  in  kings'  houses !  " 

Dame  Dorothy  dropped  her  hands  despairingly. 
"  Now  grant  me  patience  !  "  she  cried.  "  Why, 
child,  the  priest  spake  not  of  William  III.  He 
spake  of  God,  the  King  of  all  the  earth,  —  and  of 


14  IN  KINGS1  HOUSES. 

his  daughter,  the  Church.  It  is  she  who  has  'put 
on  glorious  apparel.' ' 

"  Oh  !  I  thought  he  meant  King  William,"  sighed 
the  child.  "  But  that's  no  matter,  granny.  Tell  me 
a  story  of  the  days  long  ago,  when  you  dwelt  in 
kings'  houses.  Was  it  King  William's  house  ?  Was 
he  your  master  ? " 

The  woman's  cheek  flushed  crimson,  taking  on  the 
color  of  an  autumn  pippin,  and  for  a  few  moments 
the  room  was  silent  save  for  the  monotonous  whir 
ring  of  the  wheel.  Then  she  said,  softly : 

"  Nay,  he  was  not  my  master ;  and  he  is  not  now, 
save  as  the  King  is  master  of  us  all.  It  was  long 
ago,  laddie,  in  the  days  of  Charles  Stuart  — 

"  Who  had  his  head  cut  off  ? "  interrupted  Robin, 
excitedly. 

"  Hush  thee,  hush  thee,  child,"  whispered  the 
dame,  dropping  into  the  thee  and  thou,  as  she  was 
apt  to  do  whenever  greatly  moved.  "  Thou  must  not 
speak  of  such  things.  Have  I  not  told  thee  more 
than  once  ?  No.  It  was  when  Charles  II.  reigned. 
But  I  was  not  of  his  household." 

The  wheel  turned  slower  and  slower,  till  it  at  last 
stood  still.  The  dame's  eyes  were  fixed  upon  the 
bed  of  coals  glowing  on  the  hearth,  and  her  foot, 
that  had  slipped  from  the  treadle,  kept  its  steady 
upward  and  downward  movement  unawares.  The 
child  waited  a  moment,  and  then  pulled  at  her  apron. 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES.  1 5 

"Go  on,  granny,"  he  said.     "Tell  me  more." 

She  started,  picked  up  her  thread,  and  resumed 
her  spinning  with  her  story. 

" '  When  I  dwelt  in  kings'  houses  ? '  What  a 
child  thou  art !  The  story  is  naught,  Robin  ;  and  if 
it  were  much,  you  have  heard  it  a  thousand  times. 
It  was  in  the  year  of  the  Great  Plague.  Ah,  what  a 
time  was  that !  'Twas  the  terror  by  night,  and  the 
pestilence  that  walketh  in  darkness,  and  the  destruc 
tion  that  wasteth  at  noonday." 

Again  she  paused,  lost  in  the  maze  of  memory. 

"  Oh,  do  go  on  !  "  cried  the  child.  "  Granny,  why 
do  you  always  stop  and  look  in  the  fire  when  you  get 
to  the  plague  and  the  dead  folk  ? " 

"  Why  ?  Laddie,  you  will  understand  some  day. 
They  all  died,  —  my  father,  and  my  mother,  and  my 
young  brother,  and  weeks  afterward,  though  not  of 
the  plague,  my  own  babe  that  slept  in  my  bosom. 
Well,  it  was  two  or  three  weeks  after  this,  when  I 
was  out  in  the  paddock  one  morning,  feeding  the 
fowls,  I  heard  the  trampling  of  horses  and  the 
sound  of  wheels,  and  looking  up,  I  saw  a  great  lady 
in  a  carriage,  and  beside  her  a  fine  gentleman  whose 
face  I  knew  well.  It  was  the  young  Sir  Henry 
Valdegrave,  my  father's  landlord,  and  my  husband's 
also. 

"  He  beckoned  to  me,  and  bade  me  approach.  I 
took  off  my  apron  of  heavy  linen,  —  which  was  none 


1 6  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

too  clean,  in  sooth,  for  I  had  gathered  up  a  brood  of 
chickens  in  it,  —  and  threw  it  behind  the  hen-coop. 
Then  with  my  two  hands  I  smoothed  down  my  hair, 
which  the  wind  had  roughened,  and  went  forward 
somewhat  abashed,  and  wondering  if  the  lady  re 
quired  a  bowl  of  milk,  or  mayhap  a  flagon  of  ale,  for 
the  day  was  hot.  But  I  said  not  a  word,  —  as  was 
fitting,  —  only  made  my  obeisance  and  stood  with 
my  eyes  cast  down,  waiting  their  commands.  I  can 
hear,  even  now,  how  the  bees  hummed  in  the  labur 
nums  that  morning,  and  in  the  great  lime-tree  that 
overhung  the  wicket. 

"  Very  like  it  was  not  two  minutes  ;  but  it  seemed 
to  me  I  stood  there  two  hours,  while  the  lady  and 
gentleman  talked  in  low  tones  that  I  could  not 
understand.  Then  the  lady  nodded,  and  shrugged 
her  shoulders,  settling  her  mantle  with  a  word  of 
displeasure  about  the  dust,  while  the  gentleman 
motioned  me  near  with  a  little  wave  of  his  hand, 
—  I  having  remained  all  the  while  half  hidden  by 
the  paling. 

" '  Methinks  she  will  do,  if  she  pleases  your  lady 
ship,'  he  said,  after  a  little ;  « I  know  her  to  be  of 
good  stock,  and  she  is  not  uncomely.' 

"  *  She  seems  a  sturdy  wench,  which  is  more  to  the 
point,  and  modest  withal,'  answered  the  lady.  '  I 
care  not  much  if  she  be  comely.  Better  otherwise, 
Sir  Henry,"  and  she  laughed  a  little.  Whereupon 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES.  I/ 

they  went  on  talking  about  me  as  if  I  had  been 
a  stick  or  a  stone,  while  I  got  red  in  the  face,  and 
stood  like  a  gawk  twirling  the  corner  of  my  kerchief, 
and  wondering  what  all  this  pother  was  about. 

"But  presently  the  lady  cried  out  with  a  great 
sigh,  '  Faith,  but  'tis  hot !  I  cannot  bide  here  longer. 
Bid  the  wench  come  to  the  palace  to-morrow,  Sir 
Henry.' 

"  Never  was  my  head  in  such  a  whirl,  and  my 
heart  was  like  a  hammer  thumping  and  pounding 
in  my  breast.  But  Sir  Henry  spoke  never  a  word 
then,  save  to  tell  me  to  go  in  out  of  the  sun.  As  he 
bade  the  coachman  drive  on,  and  the  wheels  began 
to  move,  I  heard  him  say,  '  I  will  give  her  instructions 
before  night,  Lady  Frances.' 

"  Then  I  went  into  the  house,  picking  up  my  apron 
as  I  went,  and  sat  down  in  the  empty  foreroom,  won 
dering  what  this  strange  thing  might  be  that  had 
come  into  my  life.  For  I  had  not  heard  enough  of 
the  conversation  to  understand  what  was  wanted  of 
me,  —  only  that  I  was  to  be  summoned  to  the  palace 
by  order  of  this  grand  dame,  whose  smile  was  cold 
and  haughty. 

"  As  I  sat  there  all  in  a  maze,  trembling,  and  hot 
and  cold  by  turns,  Allan  came  in." 

"  My  grandsir  Allan  ? " 

Dame  Dorothy  laughed  softly  as  she  dipped  her 
fingers  in  the  cup,  moistening  the  flax. 


1 8  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

"  Who  else  should  he  be  ?  But  he  was  not  your 
grandsir  then.  He  was  my  young  husband,  scarce 
twenty-five  years  old,  six  feet  in  his  stockings,  straight 
as  an  arrow,  and  with  eyes  as  blue  as  the  speedwell 
you  picked  yesterday.  Well,  he  was  sore  troubled 
at  the  plight  he  found  me  in,  and  began  to  comfort 
me  about  the  baby  that  had  died,  and  to  talk  to  me 
of  our  eldest  born,  who  was  named  Robin.  He 
could  talk,  and  was  a  sturdy  chap,  and  when  our 
troubles  came  we  had  sent  him  to  his  granny  —  his 
father's  mother  —  to  be  taken  care  of." 

"Just  as  I  was  sent  over  sea  to  my  granny," 
remarked  the  child,  gravely. 

The  dame  nodded. 

"  Yes.  And  I  remember  how  my  Allan  bade  me 
dry  my  eyes  and  be  cheery  again,  saying  death  was 
God's  will,  and  all  that.  But  I  answered  it  seemed 
to  me  that  mayhap  men  and  the  devil  had  as  much 
to  do  with  the  plague  and  other  ills  as  God  had. 
However,  we  did  not  dispute  about  that.  I  did  not 
tell  him  of  the  morning's  strange  happening,  for  I 
did  not  understand  it  myself,  and  thought  it  no  use 
to  trouble  him  till  I  knew  what  was  wanted  of  me. 

"  So  presently  I  bestirred  myself  and  made  ready 
a  bowl  of  pottage,  —  black  beans,  with  some  savory 
herbs  added  thereto.  And  lo  !  as  he  was  eating  it, 
with  a  loaf  of  black  bread  on  a  trencher  beside  him, 
I  heard  the  tramping  of  hoofs  again,  and  Sir  Henry 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  1 9 

leaped  from  his  horse,  throwing  the  bridle-rein  to 
the  groom  who  rode  a  gray  nag  behind  him. 

"  He  strode  into  the  low  room  without  so  much  as 
a  knock,  but  doffed  his  hat  and  smiled  on  me  ere  he 
spake  a  word.  And  I  bethought  me  that  there  was 
one  bottle  left  of  the  cherry  cordial  mother  had  made 
last  year,  and  brought  him  a  small  draught,  which  he 
drained  every  drop.  Mother  was  skilled  in  all  the 
secrets  of  the  still-room,  and  was  esteemed  a  fine  cook 
in  her  day." 

"  She  was  no  better  skilled  than  you,  I  warrant," 
observed  Robin,  politely.  "  But  what  happened  next, 
granny  ? " 

"  Why,  then  he  told  me  I  was  to  go  to  Richmond 
the  next  day,  to  be  nurse  to  the  Lady  Anne  of  York. 
It  was  the  Lady  Frances  Villiers  whom  I  had  seen  in 
the  carriage  that  morning ;  she  who  had  been  ap 
pointed  governess  to  the  Lady  Mary  and  the  Lady 
Anne,  the  two  little  daughters  of  James,  the  Duke 
of  York.  And  because  of  the  great  plague,  the 
children  had  been  removed  from  Twickenham  to  the 
palace  at  Richmond,  whither  I  was  to  go  at  once. 

"All  this  Sir  Henry  told  me  as  I  sat  shivering 
with  cold  and  fright  (though  it  was  so  hot  outside) 
and  holding  on  to  Allan's  hand  for  dear  life,  while  he 
said  never  a  word,  whether  he  would  that  I  should 
go,  or  stay. 

"  At  last  I  said,  '  But,  your  honor,  I  cannot  go  to 


2O  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

nurse  the  Lady  Anne.  I  have  to  keep  the  house  for 
Allan ; '  and  then  Allan  smiled  at  me,  and  squeezed 
my  hand  the  tighter. 

"Then  Sir  Henry  talked  to  us  both  very  kindly 
and  wisely.  You  are  too  young  to  understand  it  all, 
dear  heart.  But  he  made  us  see  it  would  be  to  our 
great  advantage  if  I  were  to  go  to  Richmond  for 
awhile.  And  of  course  I  knew  it  was  a  great 
honor  for  one  like  me  to  be  sought  for  as  nurse  to  the 
Lady  Anne.  Her  mother,  the  duchess  —  she  that 
was  Anne  Hyde  —  was  thought  to  be  near  her  death 
just  then,  and  the  whole  country  talked  of  it.  As  I 
thought  of  this,  and  of  my  own  baby  lying  cold  in  its 
small  grave,  my  heart  yearned  over  the  little  one  in 
the  palace.  We  are  all  alike,  my  laddie,  when  pain 
and  sorrow  come. 

"  Moreover,  I  knew  I  could  not  help  myself  any 
way.  Who  was  I,  to  set  up  my  will  against  that  of 
my  betters  ?  There  was  no  use  kicking  against  the 
pricks.  So  when  Allan  said  quietly  that  he  could 
go  and  stay  with  his  own  mother  for  awhile,  I  con 
sented  to  what  I  saw  must  be. 

"  Sir  Henry  said  I  would  have  fair  wage,  and  my 
clothes  furnished,  —  and  more  than  all,  that  Allan 
would  have  leave  to  see  me  now  and  then  ;  and  that 
if  I  would  be  reasonable  and  content,  Lady  Frances 
had  promised  him  I  would  be  allowed  to  go  home 
one  Sunday  in  each  month.  Then  he  chucked  me 


IN  ICINGS'  HOUSES.  21 

under  the  chin,  bidding  me  dry  my  eyes  and  be  a 
good  wench,  leaped  on  his  horse,  and  rode  away  to 
London." 

"  And  that  is  how  you  happened  to  dwell  in  kings' 
houses  ?  " 

"  Yes,  that  is  how  it  happened.  I  thought  it  was 
to  be  only  for  a  few  weeks,  or,  mayhap,  a  twelve 
month  at  the  most.  But  the  days  went  on  and  on ; 
and  for  more  than  six  years  I  was  head  nurse  to 
my  little  Lady  Anne  Stuart.  Most  of  the  time  we 
were  at  Richmond.  But  wherever  she  went,  I  went 
also." 

"And  you  saw  many  fine  doings  at  the  palace? — 
great  lords,  and  great  ladies  ? " 

"  Oh,  yes  !  They  were  plenty  as  blackberries  ! 
Lady  Frances  Villiers  had  six  gay  daughters  of  her 
own ;  and  there  was  constant  coming  and  going,  with 
boating  on  the  river,  and  fine  games,  —  tennis  and 
the  like,  —  and  dances,  and  much  splendid  array  of 
man  and  beast.  I  saw  many  a  fine  sight  as  I  sat  in 
the  nursery  window  —  a  carved  oriel  looking  down 
upon  the  great  court  —  or  strolled  in  the  pleasaunce 
with  Lady  Anne." 

"  I  wish  I  had  been  alive  to  be  there,"  sighed 
Robin,  plaintively.  "  The  fine  doings  all  came  too 
soon  for  me.  But  go  on !  You  haven't  got  to  the 
Black  Day  yet." 

"  What  a  memory  thou  hast,  child  !     Dost  thou 


22  IN  KINGS1  HOUSES. 

forget  nothing  I  tell  thee  ?  Well,  one  day  out  of  all 
the  year,  the  great  palace  was  hushed  and  quiet. 
There  was  no  merry-making  then,  I  tell  thee,  and  no 
flaunting  in  gay  apparel.  On  that  day  the  command 
went  forth,  and  all  in  the  household  of  the  Duke  of 
York  put  on  mourning  garments,  —  aye,  all,  —  from 
the  least  unto  the  greatest.  They  fasted  and  prayed. 
Truly  they  wept  when  they  remembered  Zion." 

"  Ho,  now,  granny,  you  do  not  tell  it  right ! " 
cried  the  boy,  tugging  at  her  gown  ;  for  her  hands 
lay  idly  in  her  lap,  and  her  thoughts  were  far  afield. 
"  You  never  saia  that  word  before !  What  was 
Zion  ?  They  wept  when  they  remembered  Charles 
I.,  and  how  — 

Dame  Dorothy  caught  the  child  in  a  swift  em 
brace,  smothering  his  words  with  kisses. 

"  You  are  growing  too  wise,  laddie  !  I  shall  have 
to  stop  telling  you  these  old  stories.  Run  away 
now  and  play  with  your  kitten,  while  I  make  ready 
the  porridge  for  your  supper." 

"Nay,  let  Betty  Macthorne  make  it.  There's  all 
that  about  the  young  stepmother  to  come  yet." 

"  Humph  !  The  duchess  did  not  die  for  two  or 
three  years  after  I  went  to  the  palace,  in  spite  of 
the  doctors.  And  then  —  in  due  time,  of  course  — 
the  duke  married  Mary  Beatrice  of  Modena.  That 
was  a  gay  time,  you  may  well  believe !  The  new 
duchess  was  very  young,  only  four  years  older  than 


IN  KINGS1   HOUSES.  2$ 

the  Lady  Mary.  When  the  duke  brought  her 
home,  he  said  to  his  daughters,  '  See  !  I  bring 
you  a  new  playfellow.'  She  was  almost  as  much  a 
child  as  they.  They  liked  her  well  enow  at  first. 
But  Lady  Anne's  chief  friend  and  playmate  was  a 
girl  older  than  herself,  —  one  Sarah  Jennings.  A 
proud  minx  she  was  in  those  days,  with  nothing  to 
be  proud  of  but  her  pertness.  But  she  is  my  Lady 
Marlborough  now,  I  hear,  and  rules  her  mistress's 
household." 

"  I  don't  care  to  hear  about  Sarah  Jennings,"  said 
the  child.  "  Tell  me  about  the  little  Lady  Anne. 
Was  she  pretty,  granny?  Are  great  ladies  always 
pretty  ? " 

"  Well,  no,  — not  always,  if  one  may  make  bold  to 
say  so.  But  my  little  lady  was  pretty,  with  lovely 
brown  hair  that  curled  like  the  dandelion  ringlets 
you  bedecked  the  cat  with  yesterday;  and  red  lips, 
and  cheeks  like  roses.  She  had  beautiful  hands 
and  arms,  and  the  sweetest  voice  ever  heard.  Her 
uncle,  King  Charles,  used  to  bring  the  great  folks 
to  hearken  to  it,  and  she  used  to  recite  versicles  to 
amuse  them  when  she  was  but  a  little  child.  Very 
proud  was  I  of  that,  though  verily  I  had  little  to  do 
with  it." 

"  And  did  you  tell  her  stories,  as  you  do  me  ? " 

"  No  doubt,  no  doubt.  But  if  she  begged  for 
stories,  they  must  be  about  the  fairy  folk,  or  else 


24  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

tales  of  my  own  childhood.  She  teased  not  for  tales 
of  'kings'  houses'  as  you  do." 

"Why  should  she?  She  knew  all  about  them 
without  the  telling !  But  was  this  long,  oh,  very 
long  ago,  granny  ? " 

"  Sometimes  it  seems  very  long,  and  sometimes 
but  a  day.  I  cannot  count  the  years.  I  only  know 
I  first  went  to  Richmond  in  the  year  of  the  Great 
Plague,  when  Charles  II.  was  King  of  England. 
Then  reigned  King  James,  till  William  and  Mary 
came  overseas  and  drove  him  from  his  throne. 
Now  William  rules  alone.  Yes,  child,  it  was  long 
ago,  as  you  count  years." 

Dame  Dorothy  put  the  wheel  away,  and  Robin 
ran  out  into  the  low  slanting  sunshine  to  play  until 
called  to  supper. 


CHAPTER    II. 

DAME  DOROTHY'S  cottage  stood  on  the  outskirts, 
the  very  edge,  of  Windsor  Forest,  not  far  from  a 
great  oak  that  was  known  for  many  years  as  "  Queen 
Anne's  Oak."  Beneath  its  branches,  tradition  saith, 
she  was  accustomed  to  mount  for  the  chase.  But  it 
did  not  bear  this  name  when  Robin  played  in  its 
shadow,  nor  till  long  afterward. 

The  cottage  was  of  gray  stone,  low  and  broad, 
with  small-paned,  latticed  windows,  and  a  door  divided 
horizontally  in  the  middle,  after  the  manner  of  those 
in  old  Dutch  pictures.  It  was  a  veritable  nest  of 
green.  Scarcely  a  bit  of  the  gray  stone  was  to  be 
seen,  for  the  ivy,  the  beautiful  luxuriant  ivy  of  Eng 
land,  had  clambered  all  over  it,  framing  the  windows, 
curtaining  the  cornices,  and  climbing  to  the  very  top 
of  the  red  chimney.  On  each  side  of  the  door  grew 
two  great  rose-trees,  one  pink,  and  one  white,  whose 
long,  slender  branches  were  held  in  the  friendly  clasp 
of  the  ivy,  and  went  wandering  with  it  whithersoever 
it  would,  throwing  out  red  and  white  banners  from 
roof  and  crosspole. 

In  front  of  the  cottage  was  a  small  garden,  sweet 


26  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

with  thyme,  lavender,  and  rosemary.  Behind  it  was 
the  croft  where  a  dun  cow  was  grazing ;  and  at  the 
left  was  a  low  bench  on  which  were  three  beehives, 
their  brown  inmates  coming  and  going  in  the  sun 
with  a  low,  continuous  monotone. 

Within,  the  cottage  was  comfortable,  though  by  no 
means  fine.  There  was  a  little  entry,  with  small, 
low-ceiled  rooms  on  either  side,  and  a  tiny  kitchen 
farther  back.  This  was  all,  save  for  the  loft,  which 
was  reached  by  a  ladder-like  stairway  leading  from 
the  kitchen.  But  there  were  two  great  fireplaces, 
with  black  iron  fire-dogs  and  wide  hospitable  hearths, 
each  with  its  wooden  settle ;  and,  whatever  the 
weather  might  be,  the  rooms  were  warm  and  bright, 
and  sweet  with  the  odors  of  wildwood  and  garden. 
There  for  some  months  had  dwelt  Dame  Dorothy 
and  Robin,  and  a  well-grown  lass  of  fourteen  or 
thereabouts,  called  Betty  Macthorne. 

The  good  dame,  even  though  she  had  lived  "in 
kings'  houses  "  at  one  period  of  her  changeful  life, 
hardly  felt  called  upon  to  keep  a  servant.  But  she 
was  by  no  means  poor  ;  and  the  time  had  come  when 
she  found  it  pleasanter  to  sit  by  the  fire  and  spin,  or 

» 

to  potter  about  among  her  bees,  her  birds,  her  fowls, 
and  her  garden,  than  to  do  all  the  rough  work  of  even 
so  humble  an  establishment.  And  as  for  Betty  Mac 
thorne,  —  a  waif  from  the  city  streets,  who  had  been 
blown  about  by  fierce  winds,  and  tossed  hither  and 


IN  KINGS1   HOUSES.  2? 

thither  by  adverse  fortune,  —  she  thought  she  had 
found  paradise  when  Dame  Dorothy's  kindly  voice 
bade  her  braid  up  her  elfin  locks,  wash  her  hands, 
and  learn  how  to  bake  the  bread  and  fry  the  bacon. 

"  You  can  save  my  old  bones  many  an  ache,  and 
my  joints  many  a  twinge,  if  you  prove  but  willing 
and  faithful,  lassie,"  the  dame  had  said.  "The  bit 
you  eat  I  shall  hardly  miss.  And  as  for  clothing,  — 
there  is  wool  and  flax  for  the  spinning ;  and  for  these 
many  days  yet,  my  gowns  and  petticoats  can  be  cut 
down  to  your  size  when  they  are  too  much  worn  for 
my  using.  So  come  in  God's  name,  child,  if  you 
like,  and  we  will  do  our  best  to  travel  on  together, 
in  peace  and  quietness." 

Betty  needed  no  second  bidding,  —  and  very  happy 
she  was,  for  life  had  gone  hardly  with  her  till  that 
day. 

If  one  were  to  stand  to-day  where  the  cottage 
then  stood,  and  were  to  look  to  the  right  and  left, 
his  eye  would  follow  a  long,  straight  drive,  or  walk, 
bordered  on  either  side  by  stately  elms,  —  a  three- 
mile  stretch,  from  St.  George's  Gateway  on  the 
north,  with  the  massive  towers  of  the  castle  ris 
ing  in  long  array  above  it,  to  Snow  Hill  on  the 
south,  crowned  by  the  equestrian  statue  of  George 
III.,  standing  in  bold  relief  against  the  sky.  Hun 
dreds  of  fallow  deer  toss  their  antlered  heads  to-day 
in  the  great  park  that  was  once  Windsor  Forest. 


28  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

Wild  deer  roamed  that  forest  then ;  and  as  Robin 
played  about  the  door  he  sometimes  caught  sight  of 
one,  a  mere  shadow  in  the  far  distance.  But  they 
were  shy  things  in  those  days,  very  unlike  the  tame 
creatures  that  now  browse  there  undisturbed.  In 
place  of  the  long,  straight  drive,  wildwood  paths  ran 
hither  and  thither ;  ferns  and  wild  flowers  nodded 
in  the  breeze ;  and  over  every  rock,  and  wherever 
a  hunter's  cabin  or  a  woodman's  hut  had  encroached 
upon  the  solitude,  the  mantling  ivy  had  crept,  hiding 
man's  poor  handiwork  in  the  folds  of  its  own  soft 
verdure. 

One  morning,  about  a  week  after  Dame  Dorothy 
had,  for  the  hundredth  time,  told  Robin  how  it  hap 
pened  that  she  had  once  dwelt  in  kings'  houses,  she 
sent  Betty  on  an  errand  to  the  small  town  lying  at 
the  foot  of  the  castle.  An  hour  had  not  passed 
when  the  girl  came  flying  back  in  a  state  of  great 
excitement.  Dame  Dorothy  was  tying  up  her  wall 
flowers,  that  had  been  beaten  down  by  a  sharp  shower 
the  night  before,  while  Robin  was  making  a  fleet  of 
pea-pod  boats.  The  child  looked  up  wonderingly. 

"  Why,  granny,  whatever  is  the  matter  with  Betty 
Macthorne  ? "  he  cried.  "  Look !  look  !  She  is  run 
ning  as  if  the  Coverly  witch  were  after  her ! " 

"Reach  me  my  scissors,  there's  a  good  child," 
answered  the  dame,  without  lifting  her  eyes.  "A 
thoughtful  wench  is  Betty.  Haply  she  is  afeard  the 


IN  KINGS1  HOUSES.  29 

porridge  will  burn.  She  hung  on  the  pot  before  she 
went  out." 

But,  as  it  proved,  Betty's  thoughts  were  not  on 
the  porridge-pot. 

"  Oh,  good  mistress,"  she  cried,  panting,  as  she 
dropped  down  on  a  garden  stool,  "  such  a  marvel 
lous  thing  as  has  happened  to  me !  I  never  could 
ha'  believed  it,  —  and  as  I  live,  I  know  not  now 
whether  I  be  dreaming  or  no ! " 

"  Well,  if  you  can  gather  your  wits  together,  and 
get  your  breath  long  enow  to  tell  me  about  this 
wonderful  happening,"  said  her  mistress,  slowly,  as 
she  went  on  carefully  brushing  and  blowing  the  soil 
from  a  red  stock-gilly  that  had  been  bent  to  the 
ground,  "  mayhap  I  can  help  you  out.  Have  you 
seen  the  Black  Wizard,  or  haply  Beelzebub  himself, 
with  his  horns  and  hoofs,  running  loose  in  Windsor 
streets  this  fair  morning?" 

"  Nay,  mistress,  do  not  jest,"  answered  Betty.  "  I 
have  seen  neither  Beelzebub,  nor  the  Wizard.  But 
just  as  I  was  turning  into  the  forest,  walking  quietly 
along  with  my  basket  on  my  arm,  and  thinking  about 
a  red  ribbon  in  the  haberdasher's  window,  I  heard 
some  boys  shouting,  and  making  a  great  pother,  and 
lo !  there  I  saw,  before  my  eyes,  just  turning  the 
corner  from  Eton  way,  a  fine  carriage,  with  postil 
ions,  and  footmen,  and  outriders,  and  gentlemen  in 
scarlet  coats  and  gold  lace ;  and  there  were  ladies 


30  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

in  the  carriage  all  silks  and  feathers,  and  shining 
jewels,  and  —  and  —  " 

"  Yes,  yes,  child,"  said  Dame  Dorothy,  "  no 
doubt,  no  doubt !  But  if  you  live  near  Windsor 
long,  you  will  get  used  to  such  sights,  and  make 
little  of  them.  There  be  always  great  folk  at  the 
castle,  —  lords  and  ladies,  and  the  like,  —  whether 
the  King  be  there  or  no.  And  they  do  always  be 
riding  in  state,  and  taking  their  pleasure.  It  is  the 
way  of  the  quality." 

Robin  had  dropped  his  pea-pods,  and  was  listen 
ing  with  eyes  and  ears,  as  it  were,  too  absorbed  for 
even  a  word. 

"  But  there  is  more  to  come,  mistress  !  I  drew  to 
one  side  to  make  my  obeisance,  as  was  fitting,  and 
was  standing  still,  with  my  eyes  cast  down,  and  my 
basket  on  my  arm  — ' 

"  Don't  tell  any  more  about  the  basket !  "  cried 
Robin,  who  had  found  his  tongue  at  last.  "Tell 
about  the  lords  and  ladies  !  " 

"  But,  Master  Robin,"  exclaimed  poor  Betty,  des 
perately,  "  the  basket  is  the  nib  of  the  whole  story ! 
As  I  stood  there,  waiting  for  the  carriage  to  pass  by, 
I  took  from  under  the  cover  a  handful  of  double  jon 
quils  I  plucked  this  morning,  —  well,  knowing  you 
would  be  willing,  mistress,  as  I  was  meaning  to  give 
them  to  the  sick  girl  who  lies  by  the  window  of  the 
last  cottage  under  the  hill.  It  was  near  the  place, 


IN  KINGS*   HOUSES.  31 

and  I  thought  to  have  them  ready.  But  just  then 
the  carriage  halted,  for  one  of  the  ladies  caught  sight 
of  the  flowers,  and  cried  out,  softly,  «  Oh,  stop  !  stop  ! 
See  those  beautiful  jonquils  ! '  The  gentlemen  leaped 
from  their  horses,  and  the  grandest  of  them  all  doffed 
his  hat  to  the  lady,  while  he  asked  if  I  would  sell  the 
flowers.  And  I  said  nay,  they  were  not  for  sale ;  but 
I  laid  them  in  his  hand.  The  lady  smiled  and  thanked 
me  kindly,  and  bade  a  younger  lady,  who  sat  beside 
her,  to  keep  them  well  in  the  shade,  that  they  might 
not  wilt  from  the  heat.  For,  said  she,  *  Never  saw  I 
such  lovely  jonquils,  and  they  just  match  in  color  the 
gown  I  mean  to  wear  this  evening.' ' 

"Well,  well!"  cried  Dame  Dorothy,  "I  little 
thought  my  jonquils  would  come  to  such  honor 
as  that.  Yet  I  knew  they  were  wondrous  fine,  the 
bulbs  having  been  sent  to  me  by  my  cousin,  who  is 
head  gardener  to  my  lord  the  Duke  of  Devonshire. 
Neither  did  I  think  they  would  bloom  for  me  this 
year,  so  late  was  it  before  I  planted  them.  It  was  a 
miracle  that  they  bore  a  single  blossom,  for  it  is  long 
past  their  season." 

"  But  there  is  more  to  come  yet ! "  said  Betty. 
"  One  of  the  ladies  took  note  of  the  bit  of  lace  you 
bade  me  show  to  the  mercer.  It  hung  over  the  edge 
of  the  basket,  having  clung  to  the  jonquils  as  I  drew 
them  forth,  and  she  at  once  remarked  the  pattern, 
saying  it  was  a  rare  one,  and  finely  wrought,  —  like 


32  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

the  work  of  one  she  knew  long  ago.  Whereupon  I 
made  a  curtsey,  and  said  the  lace  was  made  by  my 
mistress,  Dame  Dorothy,  who  was  skilled  in  all  fine 
spinning  and  lace-weaving.  «  Dame  Dorothy,'  quoth 
the  lady,  '  verily  the  one  I  knew  was  called  Dorothy, 
also.'  Now  is  not  that  strange,  mistress  ?" 

"  But  what  happened  next  ? "  cried  Robin,  greatly 
excited.  "  Was  it  the  Queen,  mayhap  ?  Did  the 
lady  wear  a  golden  crown  ?  I  wish  I  had  been 
there ! " 

"The  Queen?  England  has  no  queen,  child," 
interposed  Dame  Dorothy.  "But  had  the  lady 
been  a  queen  she  would  not  have  worn  her  crown 
this  morning,  when  she  was  but  out  a-pleasuring. 
Crowns  are  only  for  great  days  and  great  pageant 
ries.  How  looked  the  chief  lady,  Betty  ? " 

Betty  pondered. 

"  She  was  large  and  stately,  mistress,  but  me- 
thinks  my  eyes  were  dazzled.  I  could  not  look  on 
her  face." 

"  Methinks  you  were  just  frightened,  Betty," 
remarked  Robin.  "  Sometimes  my  eyes  feel  that 
way." 

"  Did  you  hear  aught  of  great  doings  at  the  castle. 
—  or  of  strangers  quartered  in  the  state  apartments  ? " 

"  Indeed,  no,"  answered  Betty.  "  I  asked  no  ques 
tions.  There  were  gawks  in  plenty  gaping  and  star 
ing  at  the  street  corners.  But,"  deprecatingly,  "  you 


IN  KINGS1  HOUSES.  33 

know  you  have  told  me  how  a  modest  lass  should  de 
mean  herself,  and  so  I  just  passed  through  the  crowd 
and  said  nothing.  And  then  came  this  great  hap 
pening  !  " 

"  Nothing  ever  happens  to  me,"  wailed  Robin. 
"  To  think  that  granny  gave  me  leave  to  go  to  town 
with  you  this  morning,  and  I  chose  to  stay  behind 
and  make  little  boats  out  of  pea-pods  !  But  tell  the 
rest,  Betty.  What  came  next  ? " 

"  That  was  all.  Only  the  gentleman  who  took  the 
flowers  tossed  me  this  crown  piece,  the  lady  smiled 
and  nodded,  the  carriages  swept  on  up  the  hill,  —  and 
here  I  am,  alive  and  breathing  after  it  all !  I  couldn't 
ha'  believed  it.  But,  verily,  mistress,  it  is  borne  in 
upon  my  mind  that  this  will  not  be  the  end  of  it." 

"Young  lassies  are  apt  to  imagine  vain  things. 
But  we  have  wasted  time  enough  over  this.  Go 
you  to  your  work,  Betty,  and  I  must  in  to  my 
spinning.  Robin,  put  your  boats  in  safe  harbor 
under  the  beehives,  and  come  you  in  and  read  me 
your  lesson  out  of  the  horn-book." 

"I  will  come  if  I  must,  but  I  am  sore  tired  of 
that  horn-book,"  said  the  lad,  as  he  stowed  away 
his  boats.  "  I  know  every  word  from  a  to  izzard 
already.  Are  there  no  other  books  in  the  world, 
that  I  must  aye  be  reading  that  one  over  and 
over?" 

The  good  dame  looked  bewildered.      "Tired  of 


34  Iff  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

the  horn-book  ?  Now  who  ever  heard  the  like  ? 
'Tis  not  every  lad  who  gets  a  chance  at  it,  I  can 
tell  you  that.  But,  come  in,  child,  come  in,  and 
do  your  best  at  it  to-day.  Mayhap  I  can  get  you 
a  better  book  of  Father  Hunt." 

Pausing  on  the  threshold,  she  called  to  Betty,  who 
was  flying  round  to  the  croft  door.  "  But  what  said 
he  about  the  lace,  —  the  mercer  ? " 

"That  you  were  to  make  a  piece  like  it,  forth 
with,"  she  called  back.  "  But,  body  o'  me,  the  por 
ridge  is  burning !  'Twill  be  only  fit  to  throw  to  the 
farrow." 


CHAPTER    III. 

BETTY  was  right.     This  was  not  the  end  of  it. 

The  next  afternoon  Dame  Dorothy  sat  with  her 
cushion  on  her  knee,  tossing  the  bobbins  "in  and 
out,  and  round  about,"  while  the  narrow  web  of 
lace  grew  beneath  her  fingers.  The  sun  had  gone 
behind  a  cloud,  and  Betty  had  made  a  small  fire 
on  the  hearth.  There  were  few  days  when  dwel 
lers  in  the  forest  did  not  find  a  bed  of  smol 
dering  coals,  or  a  bright  blaze,  both  cheery  and 
comfortable. 

She  had  been,  as  Sir  Henry  Valdegrave  had 
said,  not  uncomely  in  her  youth.  She  was  far 
more  comely  now  in  the  serene  and  tranquil  dig 
nity  that  had  come  to  her  as  the  years  went  by, 
—  a  dignity  that  had  nothing  to  do  with  place  or 
station.  It  was  something  innate ;  and  many  a 
high-born  dame,  many  a  lady  of  high  degree,  might 
have  envied  it.  Quietly,  and  without  resentment, 
she  bore  the  burden  of  her  years,  with  a  form 
unbent,  a  step  still  light,  a  face  unfurrowed  by 
petty  cares,  or  unholy  passions. 

35 


36  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

It  was  a  pretty  picture  the  small  interior  presented 
that  afternoon :  the  clear  hearth,  the  unobtrusive, 
friendly  fire,  the  shining  pewter-ware  on  the  dresser, 
the  brass  candlesticks  on  the  narrow  mantel-shelf, 
the  gay  cushion  on  the  high-backed  settle,  where  a 
great  black  cat  was  taking  its  ease,  the  lozenge- 
shaped  window-panes,  and  the  broad  ledge  under 
neath,  where  grew  a  pot  of  basil,  Robin  sailing  his 
boats  in  a  pan  of  water,  and,  finally,  Dame  Dorothy 
herself,  in  a  gown  of  puce-colored  flannel,  white  linen 
kerchief  and  apron,  and  a  close  cap,  or  hood,  of  mus 
lin,  with  broad  lappets  that  reached  nearly  to  her 
waist. 

Betty  came  flying  in.  "  Ah,  mistress,  mistress ! 
There  be  carriages  coming  down  the  road,"  she 
panted,  "  and  fine  ladies,  and  —  I  know  not  what ! 
Run  you  to  the  window,  Master  Robin,  quick,  quick, 
that  you  may  see  the  grand  sight ! " 

But  Robin  had  waited  for  no  bidding.  His  nose 
was  already  flattened  against  the  window-pane.  Be 
fore  Dame  Dorothy  could  lay  aside  her  cushion,  it 
became  evident  that  something  more  than  seeing 
was  demanded  of  her.  Robin  was  too  much  over 
awed  for  speech  when  the  foremost  of  the  two  car 
riages  came  to  a  halt,  and  one  of  the  footmen  in 
scarlet  livery  leaped  to  the  ground,  strode  up  the 
garden  path,  and  gave  a  thundering  knock  upoa 
the  door. 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  37 

The  dame  herself  opened  it,  and  to  the  man's  own 
amazement,  possibly,  his  hand  was  raised  to  the  level 
of  his  brow,  instinctively. 

"Doth  one  who  is  called  Dame  Dorothy  dwell 
here  ? "  he  asked. 

"I  am  she,"  was  the  answer,  with  a  low  curt 
sey. 

Whereupon  a  tall,  stately  lady,  with  beautiful 
chestnut  curls,  beckoned  to  one  of  the  gentlemen- 
in-waiting. 

"  I  will  alight,"  she  said.  "  Drive  ye  all  on  for  an 
hour,  while  I  sit  in  the  cottage.  But  let  Gloster  be 
brought  hither.  He  will  remain  with  me." 

"  I  will  alight  also,"  said  a  handsome,  imperious 
dame,  from  the  carriage.  "  It  is  not  fitting  that  your 
Grace  visit  the  cottage  unattended." 

The  Princess  Anne  hesitated  for  an  instant,  tap 
ping  the  ground  with  the  toe  of  her  shoe. 

"  I  require  no  attendance,  my  Lady  Marlborough," 
she  said,  looking  up  quickly.  "  Drive  on,  and  leave 
me  for  an  hour." 

She  waited  silently  while  a  fair,  blue-eyed  boy  was 
lifted  from  the  second  carriage,  and  ran  towards  her, 
delighted.  Then  taking  his  hand  in  hers,  she  stood 
quietly  till  the  equipages  were  out  of  hearing  ere  she 
turned  to  Dame  Dorothy,  who  had  remained  in  the 
doorway,  awaiting  her  commands. 

Now  the  latter  stepped  forward  ;  and  meeting  the 


300577 


38  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

princess  half-way  down  the  path,  she  would  have 
knelt  to  kiss  her  hand,  had  she  not  been  forcibly 
prevented. 

"  Nay,  nay,  thou  art  too  old  for  that.  We'll  have 
no  bending  of  the  knees.  Kiss  my  hand  if  thou 
wilt ;  but  thou  hast  kissed  my  cheek  ere  this.  Dost 
thou  not  know  me,  Dorothy  ?  " 

"  Surely  I  knowthee,  I  know  thee,"  said  the  dame, 
lifting  the  hand  extended  to  her  lips.  "Thou  art 
mine  own  Lady  Anne  Stuart.  Or  rather,  thou  art 
now  the  Princess  Anne  of  Denmark." 

"  And  thou  art  mine  old  nurse  Dorothy,  who  has 
rocked  me  on  her  breast  many  a  time,"  the  lady 
answered.  "It  is  as  I  thought  when  I  saw  that 
rare,  quaint  pattern  of  lace  yesterday.  I  knew  it  for 
thy  handiwork.  Did  not  the  lass  tell  thee  ? " 

"  Yes,  my  lady,  and  I  wondered  much.  In  truth, 
I  slept  little,  last  night,  thinking  of  the  years  gone  by. 
But  I  knew  not  thou  wert  at  Windsor ;  and  if  I  had, 
I  could  not  have  ventured  to  bring  myself  to  thy 
notice  after  so  many  years." 

For  answer,  the  lady  laid  her  hand  on  Dorothy's 
shoulder,  smiling  kindly. 

"  Come,  come,  Dame  Dorothy,  have  you  forgotten 
your  manners  ? "  she  said,  lightly,  after  a  moment's 
pause.  "Am  I  not  to  walk  into  your  house,  and 
have  a  seat  by  your  fire  ?  My  shoes  are  none  too 
thick,  and  I  shall  have  twinges  in  my  legs  if  I  stand 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  39 

longer  on  this  ground,  which  seemeth  to  me  some 
what  damp." 

"  I  crave  your  pardon,  my  Lady  Anne.  Come  in, 
come  in  !  Glad  indeed  am  I  if  my  house  may  again 
give  shelter,  if  but  for  a  moment,  to  one  of  the  house 
of  Stuart." 

The  princess  looked  sharply  at  her  hostess  for  an 
instant.  Then  passing  by  her,  she  entered  the  cot 
tage." 

"  Dorothy,  Dorothy,"  she  said,  in  a  voice  that  was 
marvellously  sweet  and  musical,  "  I  bid  you  be  care 
ful  of  your  speech.  Do  you  not  know  that  light 
words  are  dangerous  ?  None  can  be  too  careful  in 
these  days." 

"  Yea,  I  know  it ;  but  I  fear  not  thee.  Thou  art 
a  Stuart,  —  and  a  daughter,"  she  added  in  a  whisper, 
as  she  brought  forward  the  best  chair. 

Meanwhile  the  small  Duke  of  Gloster  had  followed 
his  mother  into  the  house,  and  stood  erect  and  silent 
by  the  door,  holding  his  plumed  hat  upon  his  hip. 
The  two  women  had  forgotten  his  presence.  Robin, 
perched  on  the  window-seat,  with  one  small,  brown 
hand  clinging  to  the  casement,  was  as  motionless  as 
the  marble  cherubs  in  St.  George's  Chapel.  His 
eyes  were  fastened  on  the  small  figure  at  the  door  in 
an  earnest  gaze  strangely  compounded  of  curiosity, 
awe,  and  boyish  adoration.  Surely  something  had 
happened  at  last,  even  to  him ! 


4O  IN  KINGS1  HOUSES. 

But  presently  Dorothy  caught  sight  of  the  little 
duke,  who  was  looking  quietly  about  him  with 
thoughtful,  observant  eyes. 

"  I  crave  pardon  of  his  Grace,"  she  said,  springing 
forward,  and  leading  the  child  to  a  seat.  "  It  is  not 
fitting  that  he  should  be  thus  left  in  the  background 
when  he  visits  Dame  Dorothy's  poor  house.  It  is 
your  son,  Lady  Anne  ?  —  the  little  Duke  of  Gloster  ? " 

"It  is  Gloster,"  she  answered,  gravely.  "Come 
hither,  Willie.  Look  at  Dame  Dorothy,  that  you 
may  know  her  well.  When  I  was  but  a  little  crea 
ture,  and,  indeed,  until  I  was  more  than  six  years 
old,  she  nursed  me,  and  took  tender  care  of  me. 
Will  you  remember  ? " 

"  Indeed  I  will,"  the  boy  answered,  stoutly.  "  But 
did  she  ever  scold  you  ?  Tell  me  that,  mamma." 

"Nay,  I  have  no  such  recollection,"  said  the 
mother,  laughing.  "  If  she  did,  no  doubt  I  deserved 
it.  How  was  it,  nurse  ?  Pray  you  inform  the  young 
man.  Did  you  ever  scold  me  ? " 

"  Nay,  if  my  memory  serves,  I  never  ventured  on 
that,  my  Lady  Anne,"  retorted  the  dame.  "  In  good 
sooth,  I  left  the  scolding  to  my  Lady  Frances." 

"Which  was  well  done  and  wisely.  She  had  a 
sharper  tongue  than  you,  Dorothy.  It  stung  like 
a  lash  when  things  went  not  to  her  liking." 

"And  did  Dame  Dorothy  tell  you  fairy  stories, 
and  comfort  you  when  you  were  ill,  madam  ? " 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  41 

"  Yes,  that  she  did." 

"  Then  I  will  give  her  a  kiss,"  said  the  child,  sud 
denly  leaning  forward  and  kissing  Dorothy's  cheek 
as  she  knelt  beside  him. 

Tears  sprang  to  her  eyes,  though  they  did  not 
overflow.  She  threw  her  arms  about  the  princely 
boy  for  an  instant ;  then  kissed  his  hand.  "  God 
bless  the  lad !  "  she  said,  fervently.  "  God  keep  him, 
that  he  may  sit  upon  the  throne  of  his  fathers." 

This  was  too  much  for  Robin.  "  Indeed  I  have 
kissed  my  granny  more  than  a  thousand  times  every 
day  since  I  was  born,  and  she  did  not  cry  about  it !  " 
he  exclaimed,  scrambling  down  from  the  window  and 
rushing  to  the  group  by  the  fireside,  with  dark  eyes 
kindling  and  cheeks  aglow. 

Dame  Dorothy  put  her  arm  round  him  and  drew 
him  close  to  her  side. 

"  Indeed  and  indeed  thou  hast.  Thou  art  a  good 
child  to  me,  my  Robin." 

"But  methinks  thou  didst  begin  the  kissing  right 
early,"  laughed  the  princess.  "Thou  wert  a  pre 
cocious  youth,  surely.  Come  hither,  lad,  and  let  me 
look  at  thee.  The  child  is  wondrously  fair,  nurse. 
Your  grandson,  did  you  say  ? " 

"  Lift  your  head,  and  speak  to  the  princess,  Robin. 
She  would  know  who  you  are.  Tell  her  your 
name." 

"  My  name  is  Robin  Sandys  ;  and  I  am  grandson 


42  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

to  Dame  Dorothy  Sandys,"  the  child  answered, 
quickly,  as  if  repeating  a  lesson. 

"  And  a  right  good  name  it  is.  Now  tell  me.  Do 
you  know  who  I  am  ? " 

The  child  answered  gravely,  lifting  his  dark  eyes 
to  the  fair,  kindly  face  of  the  princess  : 

"My  granny  has  often  told  me  how,  in  the  days 
when  she  dwelt  in  king's  houses,  she  nursed  the  Lady 
Anne  Stuart,  and  all  about  the  fine  palace,  and  the 
shining  river,  and  the  gay  barges  going  up  and  down, 
with  all  their  flags  a-flying.  Truly  I  think  you  are 
her  Lady  Anne,"  he  said,  shyly. 

"  And  who  is  this  ?  "  she  asked,  with  her  arm  about 
her  little  duke. 

"Oh,  I  know  him!  I  have  heard  about  him!" 
Robin  cried,  turning  a  glowing  face  towards  Gloster. 
"  He  is  to  be  the  king  one  day,  when  he  is  a  man 
grown.  My  grandmother  has  told  me ;  and  how  I 
am  to  be  his  faithful  servant  till  I  die.  I  will  love 
him  now,  if  he  will  let  me." 

"  Truly,  truly  I  will,"  was  Gloster's  eager  answer, 
as  he  seized  Robin's  hand.  "  Do  they  call  you 
Robin  ?  Do  you  want  to  be  a  soldier  ?  Have  you  a 
sword  and  a  cap,  or  guns  and  cannon  ? " 

"  No !  I  have  no  such  toys.  I  would  rather  sail 
the  high  seas  with  a  great  fleet  of  ships." 

"I  am  a  soldier  already,"  said  his  Grace,  the 
duke.  "  I  have  command  of  a  regiment." 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  43 

"Kings  have  to  be  soldiers,"  said  Robin,  senten- 
tiously.  "They  have  to  learn  things.  I  never 
learned." 

Just  then  Gloster's  eye  fell  upon  the  pea-pod  fleet 
in  the  corner  of  the  room,  and  the  great  round  sea  of 
the  milk-pan. 

"Oh!"  he  cried,  in  delight.  "Are  those  your 
ships  ?  Did  you  make  them  ?  See  the  masts  and 
the  little  sails  !  May  I  touch  them  ? " 

There  was  a  moment's  whispering,  then,  "  Mam 
ma  !  Mamma !  may  I  go  with  Robin  to  sail  them  ? " 

"Yes,  yes.  Run  away,"  said  the  princess;  and, 
at  a  sign  from  Dorothy,  Robin  lifted  the  pan  with 
great  care,  lest  the  ocean  should  overflow,  and  the 
two  boys  went  out  to  play  in  the  garden. 

"A  pretty  pair,"  said  the  princess.  "Your  little 
lad  is  well  spoken  for  one  of  his  age  and  breeding." 

A  "slow,  wise  smile,"  significant  of  much  observa 
tion,  passed  over  Dame  Dorothy's  face. 

"  Think  you  so,  my  lady  ?  —  I  crave  pardon  of 
your  Grace.  But  even  against  my  will,  my  tongue 
forms  the  name  by  which  I  called  you  when  you 
were  a  child  in  my  arms,  the  Lady  Anne  Stuart, 
whom  I  loved." 

"  Call  me  what  you  will,  Dorothy.  I  like  to  hear 
the  Lady  Anne  from  your  lips.  But  we  were  speak 
ing  of  the  lad." 

"  I  have  tried  to  do  my  best  for  the  child,"  Dame 


44  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

Dorothy  went  on.  "  If  he  seems  to  you  well-spoken, 
mayhap  it  is  because  he  has  seldom  played  with  chil 
dren,  and  has  had  naught  to  do  with  rough  folk.  I 
have  kept  him  close  under  my  own  wing." 

"  But  has  he  neither  father  nor  mother  ? " 

"  'Tis  a  long  story,  madam.  My  son  Robin  went, 
as  your  Grace  may  remember,  to  the  colonies  in  Vir 
ginia,  for  the  bettering  of  his  fortunes.  But  he  found 
death  there,  not  gold  ;  and  his  young  wife  died  soon 
after.  Their  one  little  son,  who  bore  his  father's 
name,  was  sent  overseas  to  me  by  the  hand  of  one 
who  had  grown  homesick  for  old  England,  and  was 
fain  to  return  to  the  land  of  his  birth." 

"  He  brought  the  small  craft  he  piloted  into  a  safe 
and  goodly  harbor,"  said  the  princess,  looking  round 
her.  "  You  seem  well-to-do,  nurse  Dorothy,  and  in 
no  need." 

"  In  no  need,  thanks  be  to  God,"  she  answered. 
"  I  have  been  rarely  prospered.  When  I  was  nurse 
to  the  Lady  Anne  I  had  no  occasion  to  use  my 
wages.  All  was  saved  that  my  husband  might  buy 
the  rental  of  a  bit  of  land  in  Deptford,  on  which  his 
heart  had  long  been  set,  —  some  fields  adjoining 
those  his  father  tilled.  And  when  my  term  of  ser 
vice  was  over,  my  lord,  the  duke,  —  your  honored 
father,  madam,  —  added  thereto  a  goodly  sum.  Then 
I  have  deft  fingers,  as  your  ladyship  knows,  and  my 
wants  are  few.  And,  thanks  be  to  God,  I  have  had 


IN  KINGS1  HOUSES.  45 

wit  enough  to  take  care  of  what  I  had.  The  battle 
is  half  won  when  one  has  learned  that." 

"When  did  I  see  you  last,  —  and  where?"  asked 
the  princess.  "  It  must  have  been  long  ago." 

"  I  know  not  the  number  of  the  years,  my  lady.  I 
am  not  good  at  such  figures.  But  it  was  when  his 
Majesty,  James  II.,  was  on  the  throne.  I  remember 
it  well.  It  was  at  the  Cock-pit." 

The  Cock-pit,  so-called,  was  a  part  of  the  great 
palace  of  Whitehall,  and  was  for  some  years  the 
home  of  the  Princess  Anne  and  her  husband,  Prince 
George  of  Denmark. 

The  princess  had  risen  from  her  chair,  and  was 
moving  nervously  about  the  room,  now  looking  out 
of  the  window  at  the  children,  now  giving  a  twirl  to 
the  small  wheel  that  stood  against  the  wall,  now 
breaking  a  leaf  from  the  pot  of  basil,  and  crushing 
it  between  her  fingers.  At  length  she  seated  herself 
in  the  corner  of  the  settle,  and  leaned  her  head 
against  the  high  back. 

"  Go  on,"  she  said,  softly.  "  Tell  me  about  it.  It 
was  at  the  Cock-pit  ? " 

"Yes,  madam.  I  had  come  up  from  Deptford 
with  some  exceeding  fine  yarn  I  had  spun  at  the 
order  of  my  Lady  Somerset ;  and  having  bought  me 
some  stuff  for  a  new  petticoat,  and  a  bit  of  taffeta 
ribbon  withal,  I  turned  from  the  Strand  into  White 
hall  Street,  on  my  way  homeward.  Now  I  had  in 


46  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

my  pocket  a  gay  ball,  knitted  of  many-colored  wors 
teds,  and  bright  with  tinkling  bells,  such  as  might 
please  a  child's  fancy ;  and  I  thought  mayhap  the 
little  Lady  Mary,  —  your  daughter,  —  whom  I  heard 
was  ailing,  might  be  diverted  thereby.  So  I  stopped 
at  the  Cock-pit,  and  made  bold  to  ask  the  house 
keeper  to  devise  means  to  bring  it  to  her  notice. 
'  Surely,  surely,'  quoth  she,  and  while  I  was  drink 
ing  a  bowl  of  posset,  she  carried  off  the  ball  and 
presently  brought  me  word  that  I  was  to  go  to  your 
chamber." 

"  It  had  passed  from  my  mind,  but  I  remember  it 
all,  now,"  said  the  princess,  "and  that  I  knew  the 
ball  was  of  your  knitting  as  soon  as  ever  I  saw  it. 
But  go  on." 

"  Your  Grace  was  in  the  small  tapestried  chamber 
over  the  eastern  gate,  —  the  one  with  the  oriel  win 
dow.  The  two  little  ladies  were  with  you." 

"  And  they  are  both  gone,  Dorothy  !  Only  Gloster 
is  left  to  me,  —  only  he  of  all  my  children." 

"  Dear,  my  lady  !  "  said  the  elder  woman,  tenderly, 
and  then  was  silent.  Leaving  the  painful  theme,  she 
resumed  her  story. 

"  After  awhile  your  ladyship  bade  the  nurse-maids 
take  the  children  into  another  room  ;  and  then,  just 
as  you  were  speaking  with  me  kindly  of  my  own 
small  matters,  and  asking  about  the  crops,  and 
how  we  were  getting  on,  lo !  there  was  the  sound  of 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES.  47 

footsteps  in  the  corridor,  and  the  gentleman  usher 
announced  in  a  loud  voice  his  Majesty,  the  King.  I 
was  that  frightened  that  my  heart  was  in  my  mouth ; 
and  seeing  there  was  no  way  to  escape,  save  by  the 
corridor,  I  would  fain  have  hid  behind  the  arras. 
But  you  bade  me  withdraw  into  the  oriel  window, 
and  wait, — just  out  of  hearing.  I  peeped  out  from 
behind  the  curtain,  —  as  who  would  not  ?  —  for  it  is 
not  every  day  that  a  woman  like  me  gets  a  chance  to 
look  on  a  king,  —  and  she  in  the  same  room  with 
him  !  Dost  thou  remember  how  he  looked  that  day, 
madam  ?  Tall  and  stately,  with  a  fine  color,  and  the 
Stuart  dimple  in  his  chin,  and  the  fine,  straight  nose 
of  him  ?  He  wore  a  crimson  doublet,  slashed,  and  a 
jewelled  collar,  and  a  tall  hat  with  feathers.  Me- 
thought  he  was  not  like  a  king  at  all,  but  just  like 
any  common  father  when  he  sat  down  beside  you, 
and  kissed  your  cheek,  and  passed  his  hand  over 
your  bright  curls.  Ah,  how  he  loved  you,  my  Lady 
Anne !  " 

The  princess  frowned,  and  seemed  about  to  speak 
as  she  moved  her  small  hands  nervously.  But  some 
strange  fascination  held  her  silent,  and  the  old 
woman  went  on. 

"  That  was  what  I  kept  thinking  all  the  time,  — 
'  how   he  loves  her ! '       'Twas   sometimes   said   the 
King  was  a  stern  man,  and  a  hard.     But   he  seemed 
not  so  that  day,  —  only  grand  and  tender,  as  befitted 
his  high  office." 


48  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

"  Peace,  Dorothy  ! "  cried  the  princess.  "  I  will 
not  have  you  talk  thus.  Why  call  you  James  II. 
king?  He  is  king  no  longer." 

"  Nay,  I  know  that  right  well.  But,  lady,  thou 
art  a  Stuart,  and  I  dare  to  tell  thee  that  I  love  the 
Stuarts  with  every  drop  of  the  red  blood  in  my 
veins !  I  like  not  Dutch  interlopers  and  changes 
and  revolutions,  and  the  banishing  of  good,  true  men 
for  the  crime  of  being  loyal  to  their  anointed  king. 
Who  is  this  William  of  Orange  ?  He,  to  lord  it 
over  Englishmen !  While  Queen  Mary  was  alive, 
the  old  line  was  upon  the  throne,  and  that  was  some 
thing,  even  to  those  of  us  who  were  fain  to  believe 
in  the  keeping  of  the  fifth  commandment.  But 
now ! " 

The  Princess  Anne,  whether  she  were  a  loyal 
daughter  or  no,  —  as,  alas  !  she  was  not  if  history 
tells  the  truth,  —  was  at  least  not  overfond  of  her 
Dutch  brother-in-law,  who  had  for  years  taken  every 
means  to  humiliate  and  annoy  her,  even  while  he 
acknowledged  her  son  as  his  heir,  and  herself  as 
next  in  succession.  Certain  it  is  that  there  was  no 
love  lost  between  them.  Doubtless  this  had  much 
to  do  with  the  fact  that  she  quite  ignored  the  sharp 
sting  in  this  plain-spoken  old  woman's  reference  to 
the  fifth  commandment.  Looking  at  her  steadily 
for  a  moment,  she  said  : 

"  Grant    me   patience,    Dorothy !     These   be    too 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES.  49 

great  points  for  women  to  meddle  with.  I  am  only 
sorry  my  father  brought  things  to  such  a  pass  as 
they  were  at.  If  he  had  not,  no  doubt  he  would  be 
on  the  throne  now." 

"  Would  God  he  were  !  "  cried  Dorothy. 

"And  again  I  say  to  you,  Dorothy  Sandys,  that 
you  must  bridle  your  tongue !  Such  talk  is  not  safe. 
Do  you  not  know  it  ?  " 

"Yea,  madam,  I  know  it  well.  But  think  not  I 
am  such  a  fool  as  to  cry  aloud  in  the  market-place. 
I  know  where,  and  to  whom,  I  speak.  Dost  not 
thou,  too,  love  the  Stuarts,  my  princess  ? " 

"Thou  wouldst  fain  make  me  believe  I  do,  in 
spite  of  all,"  cried  Anne.  "  But  enough  of  this.  Let 
us  have  no  more  such  talk  !  Dorothy,  do  you  mind 
the  foaming  glass  you  used  to  mix  for  me  ?  I  know 
not  what  you  called  the  draught  ;  but  it  was  hot  and 
smooth  and  sweet,  and  of  a  golden  yellow,  with  a 
great  drift  of  white  sea-foam  on  the  top.  I  liked  it 
well." 

"  It  was  Queen's  Broth,  my  lady,"  cried  Dame 
Dorothy,  delighted.  "And  to  think  your  ladyship 
remembers  it  after  all  these  years  !  It  was  made 
with  a  fresh-laid  egg  well  beaten,  a  spoonful  —  " 

"No  matter  for  the  recipe,  nurse,  as  I  am 
not  likely  to  compound  it  myself.  But  I  would 
fain  know  if  the  sweet  draught  still  has  the  olden 
savor." 


5O  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

As  the  dame  hurried  away  to  prepare  it,  in  a 
pleasant  flurry  of  excitement,  the  Princess  Anne 
leaned  her  head  against  the  back  of  the  settle,  and 
watched  the  little  flickering  fire  with  eyes  that  saw 
only  the  past. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

MEANWHILE  the  sun  had  come  out  from  behind 
the  clouds,  the  wind  had  gone  down,  and  the  small 
garden  lay  basking  in  the  light  and  warmth  of  the 
afternoon,  bright  with  color,  and  sweet  with  flower 
scents,  and  the  pungent  odor  of  aromatic  herbs. 
Pansies,  sweet  peas,  and  scarlet  runners  bloomed 
in  humble  content  side  by  side  with  those  belated 
jonquils. 

The  two  children  had  grown  tired  at  length  of 
their  pea-pod  boats,  and  had  been  chasing  each  other 
up  and  down  the  garden  paths,  with  an  occasional 
excursion  around  the  croft,  where  the  dun  cow  was 
grazing,  until  the  little  duke,  who  was  not  strong, 
had  dropped  upon  a  bench  opposite  the  beehives,  and 
was  fanning  himself  with  his  plumed  hat.  Robin  sat 
on  the  ground  at  his  feet,  looking  up  at  him  with 
adoring  eyes.  He  was  very  happy.  The  great 
world  of  kings  and  princes  and  fine  ladies,  of  pal 
aces  and  castles,  of  gay  pageants  and  magnificent 
spectacles,  which  had  so  stirred  his  childish  imagina 
tion,  as  he  listened  to  his  grandmother's  stories,  did 
not  seem  as  far  off  as  usual.  For  this  little  lad  at 

5' 


52  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

whose  feet  he  sat,  a  lad  no  older,  —  nay,  perhaps 
even  younger,  —  no  stronger,  and  in  some  respects 
no  wiser  than  he  ;  this  lad  who  had  been  running 
races  with  him,  and  had  been  just  as  anxious  to 
touch  the  goal  first  as  was  ever  Betty  Macthorne 
herself,  —  was  he  not  to  be  King  of  England 
some  day  ? 

But  Robin  was  very  curious  ;  and  in  the  sweet 
freemasonry  of  childhood,  he  did  not  in  the  least 
hesitate  to  ask  questions. 

"  How  do  you  like  it  ? "  he  said,  throwing  himself 
back  on  the  warm  grass,  and,  with  hands  clasped 
under  his  head,  taking  in  every  detail  of  the  small 
figure  above  him,  from  the  sunny  hair,  and  the  lace 
collar  falling  over  the  blue  velvet  coat,  to  the  silken 
hose  and  pointed  shoes. 

" '  Like  it  ? '     What  do  you  mean  ? " 

"Why,  how  do  you  think  you  will  like  it,  —  to 
be  king  ? " 

"  I  don't  think  about  it  more  than  I  can  help," 
said  the  heir  to  the  throne,  shying  an  acorn  at  a 
squirrel.  "  All  that  is  a  great  way  off.  I  may  like 
it  well  enough  when  I  am  a  man,  and  I  may  not. 
Kings  have  a  great  deal  of  trouble." 

"  But  how  does  your  Grace  like  getting  ready  to 
be  a  king  ?  You  have  to  do  that,  don't  you  ?  You 
have  to  learn  how  ? " 

The  little  duke  laughed  outright. 


ROBIN    AND    GLOSTER    IN    THE    GARDEN. 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES.  53 

"  You  are  an  odd  boy,  surely.  No  one  ever  asked 
me  that  question  before.  What  made  you  think  of 
it  ?  But,  look  you,  Robin.  You  are  not  to  call  me 
'your  Grace."  I  will  not  have  it,  for  you  know  we 
are  to  be  friends,  —  and  we  are  only  lads  now," 
he  added,  bearing  in  mind,  no  doubt,  some  slight 
knowledge  of  the  etiquette  of  courts. 

"All  right,"  said  Robin.  "I  don't  quite  like  it 
myself,  now  that  you  have  said —  what  you  did  just 
now.  But  what  shall  I  call  you  ?  You  will  have  to 
tell  me,  because  I  don't  know  about  such  things." 

"  Call  me  Gloster.  How  do  I  like  getting  ready 
to  be  a  king?"  he  added,  going  back  to  Robin's 
quaint  question.  "  I  never  thought  that  was  what 
I  was  doing  till  this  minute.  But  I  suppose  it  is.  I 
have  to  do  it  whether  I  like  it  or  not,  you  see." 

"  But  is  it  hard  work  to  learn  how  ?  Don't  you 
like  it  ? " 

Gloster  pondered.  "I  like  the  soldiering  part  well 
enough,"  he  said,  gravely.  "  But,  you  see,  that's  a 
small  part  of  it,  and  sometimes  I  wish  I  had  no 
tutors  and  governors.  There  are  so  many  things 
to  learn,  and  I  tire  of  it  when  my  head  aches.  But 
I  should  like  to  be  Prince  of  Wales,"  he  added,  con 
fidentially,  lowering  his  voice,  and  looking  round  as 
if  for  eavesdroppers.  "A  prince  does  not  have 
to  be  so  wise  as  a  king ;  and  then  I  like  the 
Welsh  people,  on  account  of  Lewis  Jenkins.  He's 


54  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

a  Welshman,  and  a  good  friend  of  mine.  He  says 
I  may  be  Prince  of  Wales  some  day,"  the  lad  went 
on,  dreamily.  "  But  why  am  I  not  now,  as  the 
others  were  ?  Tell  me  that,  if  you  can  ? " 

This  was  a  conundrum  quite  beyond  Robin's  solv 
ing.  "  What  others  ? "  he  asked,  with  a  puzzled  air. 

"Why,  the  other  lads  who  were  getting  ready  to 
be  kings,  as  you  say  I  am.  They  have  all  been 
Princes  of  Wales,  and  I  am  not.  But  who  is  Prince, 
then  ?  I  asked  Bishop  Burnet,  one  day,  and  he  only 
shook  his  head,  and  told  me  not  to  ask  questions." 

To  Robin's  mind  it  was  much  as  if  Gloster  had 
asked  why  he  was  not  the  angel  Gabriel.  But 
had  he  been  older,  he  would  have  seen  that  his  new 
acquaintance  had  been  kept  in  ignorance  of  the  exist 
ence  of  his  grandfather  James  II.,  and  of  the  little 
exiled  Prince  of  Wales,  who  was  scarcely  older  than 
himself. 

He  still  lay  on  the  grass,  looking  thoughtfully  up 
at  the  blue  sky  above  him,  over  which  a  few  light, 
fleecy  clouds  were  slowly  sailing.  Then  he  brought 
his  eyes  down  to  the  level  of  the  pretty  boy  beside 
him. 

"I  never  knew  that  kings  had  trouble,"  he  said, 
laying  his  hand  tenderly  upon  the  small  foot  that 
was  swinging  to  and  fro.  "  I  thought  any  lad  would 
be  glad  and  proud  to  be  —  what  is  it  they  call  you  ?  " 

"  Heir  to  the  Crown  of  England,"  said  Gloster, 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  55 

sententiously.  "  But  what  of  that  ?  I  took  my 
aunt  Mary's  crown  in  my  hand  once.  It  sparkled 
grandly,  yet  — 

This  was  an  absorbing  talk  for  Robin.  "  Why  do 
you  stop  ? "  he  said,  impatiently. 

"  Oh,  I  was  thinking  of  one  day  at  Kensington, 
when  I  heard  my  mother  ask  her  if  it  was  not 
heavy." 

"  And  what  did  she  say  ? " 

"That  crowns  were  not  always  so  heavy  as  they 
seemed.  Well,"  with  a  long-drawn  sigh,  "  I  don't 
understand  it  all,  but  I  know  I  would  rather  be 
Knight  of  the  Garter,  and  have  the  blue  ribbon.  I 
hoped  to  have  had  it  for  a  birthday  present.  But 
what  do  you  think  ?  They  gave  me  a  parrot 
instead ! " 

Robin's  eyes  opened  wider  and  wider.  Here  was 
a  boy  who  talked  of  jewelled  crowns  as  lightly  as  if 
they  were  cricket  balls  or  marbles.  And  what  was 
it  to  be  Knight  of  the  Garter,  and  have  a  blue 
ribbon  ? 

"I  —  I  think  I  would  have  liked  the  parrot  better, 
myself,"  he  said,  hesitatingly. 

"  That's  only  because  you  don't  know,"  answered 
Gloster.  "  But  no  matter.  I'll  explain  it  to  you 
sometime." 

Then,  with  a  long-drawn  breath  and  a  flourish  of 
his  hat.  he  changed  the  whole  subject. 


56  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

"What  are  we  sitting  here  for,  talking  of  these 
dull  things  ? "  he  said,  seizing  Robin's  hand  and  giv 
ing  it  a  strong  pull.  "  You  know  I  said  you  must 
belong  to  my  regiment.  Let  us  go  in  and  consult 
madam,  —  my  mother." 

But  it  was  too  late  for  any  further  negotiations 
that  day.  Just  as  they  reached  the  threshold,  the 
returning  carriages  drew  up  before  the  cottage.  The 
ladies  therein  would  fain  have  alighted,  for  this  unat 
tended  visit  of  the  princess  to  her  old  nurse  had 
excited  no  little  curiosity  in  their  innocent  breasts. 
Anne,  however,  radiant  and  smiling  after  her  sup  of 
Queen's  Broth,  waited  for  no  summons,  and  appeared 
upon  the  scene  at  once. 

"Methinks  it  will  rain  again,  shortly,"  she  said, 
glancing  at  the  sky,  over  which  one  or  two  innocent 
white  clouds  were  idly  floating.  "  We  will  make  no 
further  delay.  Hasten,  Gloster !  the  Lady  Fitzhar- 
dinge  waits." 

The  boy  was  accustomed  to  obedience.  Making 
hurried  adieux  to  Dame  Dorothy,  who  stood  curtsey 
ing  in  the  doorway,  he  hesitated  for  a  moment,  and 
then  threw  one  arm  across  Robin's  shoulder. 

"  I  will  come  again,"  he  whispered,  "  and  I  will 
not  forget.  You  are  to  be  one  of  my  men." 

Some  one  lifted  him  into  the  high-hung  carriage, 
or  chariot,  and  he  was  whisked  away  out  of  sight, 
while  Robin  stood  gazing  after  him  with  a  new 


IN  KINGS1  HOUSES.  57 

expression  on  his  speaking  face.  After  awhile  he 
went  slowly  into  the  house,  as  one  in  a  dream. 

"  Granny,  one  never  knows  what  may  happen," 
said  he,  standing  gravely  by  the  fire  with  his  hands 
clasped  behind  him,  and  his  eyes  fixed  upon  the 
smoldering  coals.  "  Little  did  I  think,  when  I  made 
those  pea-pod  boats,  that  Gloster  and  I  would  play 
with  them  together,  and  then  have  such  a  long  talk 
about  kings  and  crowns  afterwards." 

"And  little  did  I  think,  when  I  stuffed  the  new 
cushions  for  the  settle,  who  would  be  first  to  use 
them.  But,  Gloster  did  you  say  ? "  asked  Dame 
Dorothy,  suddenly.  "  The  young  duke's  name  seems 
to  slip  from  your  tongue  quite  glibly,  my  laddie. 
Did  you  hold  much  discourse  with  his  Grace  out 
there  by  the  beehives  ?  Betty,  the  cow  is  lowing. 
'Tis  high  time  she  were  milked  and  quartered  for  the 
night.  Child,  'tis  not  well  to  be  too  familiar  with 
the  quality.  Sometimes  they  take  offence  when  one 
would  not  think  it." 

Child  as  he  was,  Robin  felt  the  implied  rebuke, 
and  his  face  crimsoned.  He  did  not  answer ;  but 
his  breast  heaved,  and  Dorothy  saw  he  was  striving 
valiantly  to  keep  the  tears  back. 

"  Nay,  nay,  'tis  nothing  to  grieve  about,"  she  said, 
pushing  her  wheel  away,  and  drawing  her  chair  nearer 
to  the  hearth.  "  Come  hither,  laddie,  and  tell  me  all 
about  it.  Dost  thou  like  the  young  duke  ? " 


58  IN  KINGS1   HOUSES. 

"  Like  him  !  I  love  him,  and  we  are  to  be  friends. 
He  said  so,  and  that  he  liked  me  well.  He  told  me 
I  was  to  call  him  Gloster,  and  that  I  was  not  to  say 
'your  Grace.' ' 

Overwrought  and  excited,  the  boy  broke  at  last 
into  a  flood  of  passionate  tears,  clasping  his  arms 
around  her  neck,  and  burying  his  face  in  her  bosom. 

"  There,  there,  dear  heart !  "  she  whispered,  "hush 
thee  now !  Thou  art  tired  and  must  rest.  We  will 
talk  no  more  of  it  to-night,  but  to-morrow  thou  shalt 
tell  me  all  about  it.  Wipe  thine  eyes,  my  laddie,  that 
are  too  young  for  such  salt  tears,  and  I  will  sing  thee 
one  of  the  little  songs  thou  lovest,"  and  she  crooned 
to  him  in  the  twilight  till  he  fell  asleep. 

Perhaps  the  dame  was  not  sorry  when,  two  hours 
after,  Robin  awoke,  bright  and  happy,  hungry  for  his 
supper,  and  eager  to  talk  of  the  events  of  the  after 
noon.  It  must  be  confessed  she  was  anxious  to  know 
what  had  passed  between  the  two  children. 

"Well,  well,"  she  said,  "here  be  news  indeed! 
And  so  my  young  master,  the  duke,  wants  my  lad 
die  for  one  of  his  soldiers,  does  he  ?  Truly,  we  are 
in  for  fine  doings.  Mayhap  we  will  have  to  join  the 
army  in  Flanders.  Who  knows  ?  And  what  else 
said  he  ? " 

"  I  told  him,"  answered  the  child,  in  a  low  voice, 
"that  you  had  lived  in  kings'  houses,  and  he  said  that 
it  might  be  I  would  live  in  kings'  houses  myself,  some 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  59 

day.  What  think  you  of  that,  granny  ?  Would  you 
like  it  ? " 

"  Indeed  and  indeed,  that  is  a  question  not  to  be 
answered  lightly,"  she  said,  after  a  long  pause. 
"  When  you  are  older,  if  there  should  be  chance 
to  get  you  place  in  the  household  of  some  noble 
gentleman  who  would  have  you  trained  in  all  things 
fitting—  But  no  more  of  that  now,"  she  went  on, 
clasping  him  closer.  "  You  are  not  ready  to  fly 
from  the  nest  yet,  thank  God  !  We  are  quiet  and 
comfortable  here  now,  with  bread  enow  and  to  spare. 
There's  no  hurry." 

"  But  —  granny  !  " 

"Well,  what  now?" 

"  Can  you  teach  me  Latin  ? " 

"  Gramercy,  no  !  —  Latin  ?  I  can  read  my  prayer- 
book  well  enow,  and  now  and  then  make  out  a  chap 
ter,  or  a  few  versicles,  thanks  to  my  wits  and  a  good 
pair  of  eyes.  But  as  for  Latin !  —  no,  child,  I  can't 
teach  you  that.  One  tongue  is  all  I  can  manage." 

"  And  who  will  ?  " 

"  And  you  must  learn  the  Latin  ? "  she  said,  at 
length.  "  God  bless  me,  but  what  put  that  notion 
into  your  head  ?  You  have  never  seemed  any  too 
eager  to  learn  your  horn-book,  let  alone  harder  stuff." 

"Because  —  I  did  not  know,"  the  child  answered, 
in  a  low  voice.  "  But  now  —  I  must  be  getting 
ready." 


60  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

"  Ready  for  what  ?  " 

"  To  be  a  man  —  and  to  be  Gloster's  friend.  Do 
you  hear,  granny  ?  I  am  to  be  Gloster's  friend,  — 
and  you  told  me  yourself  he  was  to  be  King  of  Eng 
land  one  of  these  days.  He  is  getting  ready  now." 

"  Stars  and  garters  !  "  the  dame  exclaimed,  in  utter 
amazement.  "  The  young  eaglets  are  pluming  their 
wings,  sure  enough  !  So  !  The  little  duke  is  getting 
ready  to  be  king,  is  he  ?  And  how,  if  I  may  make 
bold  to  ask  ?  Methinks  the  lad  is  in  something  of  a 
hurry." 

"Don't  laugh,  granny.  You  do  not  understand. 
'Tis  not  that  he  is  in  a  hurry,  —  but  he  has  to  do  it. 
He  has  tutors  and  governors,  and  he  learns  the  Latin, 
and  he  studies  the  maps,  and  how  to  build  forts  and 
direct  armies ;  and  he  is  trained  —  oh,  listen,  listen, 
granny!  —  he  is  trained  in  all  'knightly  exercises.' 
That  is  what  he  said.  I  remember  the  words  well." 

"  Poor  little  lambkin  !  "  said  Dame  Dorothy,  shak 
ing  her  head.  "  'Tis  no  wonder  he  is  slight  and 
delicate,  and  has  not  thy  fresh  color,  laddie.  But, 
tell  me !  How  wouldst  thou  like  that  sort  of  life, 
boy  ?  Thou  art  young  to  be  thinking  of  matters  like 
this,  Robin." 

"  I  am  older  than  Gloster,  and  he  thinks  of  them. 
Why  should  not  I  ?  But,  granny,  may  I  learn  the 
Latin,  and  begin  to  make  myself  ready  ?  'Tis  high 
time ! " 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES.  6 1 

She  laughed. 

"You  must  make  yourself  ready  for  bed,"  she 
answered.  "  Dear  me,  laddie  !  'tis  ten  o'  the  clock. 
But  about  the  Latin  ?  Have  patience,  for  I  must 
talk  to  Father  Hunt.  Mayhap  he  can  put  you  in 
the  way  of  it,  if  it  pleases  him." 

Dame  Dorothy  sat  long  by  the  fire  that  night,  pon 
dering  deeply  over  things  past,  present,  and  to  come. 
Few  women  of  her  day,  and  certainly  very  few  of 
her  station,  had  led  lives  as  full  and  varied  as  hers. 
If  her  outlook  was  wider,  and  more  comprehensive 
than  theirs,  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at.  There  was 
much  to  think  of,  much  to  consider ;  for  she  felt  in 
stinctively  that  a  new  and  vital  force  had  entered  her 
life  and  Robin's.  What  would  come  of  it  ? 

At  length  she  arose,  and  put  the  brands  together, 
covering  the  embers  carefully  ;  and  then  stood  lean 
ing  against  the  settle,  while  one  hand  grasped  the 
high  mantel-shelf,  and  the  other  drew  back  her  skirts 
from  the  hot  hearth. 

"  God  in  heaven  knows  all,"  she  sighed,  at  last, 
glancing  at  the  bed  in  the  opposite  room,  where 
the  beautiful  child  lay  sleeping  soundly,  his  cheeks 
flushed  with  the  warmth  of  slumber,  his  brown  hair 
a  mass  of  tousled  curls,  and  his  long,  dark  eyelashes 
curving  softly.  "  I  cannot  look  far  ahead.  But  the 
lad  must  have  every  chance  in  life  that  I  can  com 
pass  for  him.  I  must  see  Father  Hunt." 


CHAPTER   V. 

ROYAL  children  learn  worldly  wisdom  early. 

"  And  to  whom,  pray,  have  you  had  the  honor  of 
making  so  long  a  visit  ? "  asked  the  Lady  Fitzhar- 
dinge  of  her  charge,  as  he  seated  himself  in  the 
carriage. 

Perhaps  the  child  noticed  a  slight  touch  of  sar 
casm  in  the  voice  of  his  governess. 

"  To  an  old  friend  of  my  mother's,"  he  answered, 
gravely,  after  a  moment's  pause. 

"  And  the  lad  whom  you  caressed,  —  who  may 
he  be?" 

"  He  is  her  grandson,  Robin  Sandys  by  name,  and 
a  friend  of  mine  own,"  said  Gloster,  settling  himself 
back  in  his  seat,  and  removing  his  hat  while  he  toyed 
with  the  feather,  and  allowed  the  soft  summer  wind 
to  rumple  his  fair  hair.  "  I  like  him  much." 

"  Humph  !  Put  on  your  hat,  sir.  We  shall  have 
you  ill  again,  and  there  will  be  another  pother  with 
diet-drinks,  and  doctors.  I  thought  surely  he  must 
be  some  young  prince  when  I  saw  you  embrace  him 
so  warmly  under  her  Royal  Highness's  very  eyes." 

"He  is  a  —  kind  of  prince,"  retorted  the  child, 
62 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES.  63 

laughing  good-naturedly,  and  quietly  obeying  the 
mandate  as  to  his  head-gear.  "  I  like  him  much," 
he  repeated.  "  He  is  —  interesting.  He  makes  me 
think." 

"As  how,  for  instance?  Did  you  discuss  affairs 
of  state  with  this  fine  young  gentleman  ? " 

"  I  don't  know  just  what  your  ladyship  means  by 
that,"  said  Gloster ;  "  but  we  talked  of  many  things. 
He  asked  me  how  I  liked  getting  ready  to  be  a  king. 
Now,  no  one  ever  asked  me  that  before,  —  not  even 
Lewis  Jenkins,  or  Bishop  Burnet.  No  one  ever 
cared ! " 

"  Methinks  when  you  name  the  two  it  would  be 
well  to  give  precedence  to  my  lord  Bishop  rather 
than  that  Welshman,"  remarked  Lady  Fitzhardinge. 
"Sit  up,  Gloster.  It  is  not  seemly  to  loll  on  the 
cushions  in  that  manner.  Hold  yourself  erect,  and 
do  not  fail  to  acknowledge  the  salutation  of  the 
guards." 

This  was  said  as  the  carriage  swept  up  Castle  Hill 
and  through  the  gateway  of  Henry  VIII.  into  the 
lower  court. 

An  hour  later,  a  little  figure  in  blue  velvet  flashed 
along  the  east  terrace,  scrambled  up  a  flight  of  nar 
row,  winding  stairs,  and  then  dashed  through  sundry 
intricate  passages,  till  he  reached  a  chamber  in  one 
of  the  towers,  called  the  Queen's  Closet.  It  was  the 
favorite  apartment  of  the  Princess  Anne.  Here 


64  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

the  child  paused,  panting  for  breath,  after  his  rapid 
flight,  and  wiped  his  forehead  with  his  small  hand 
kerchief  before  he  knocked. 

A  voice  bade  him  enter ;  and  with  some  difficulty 
he  lifted  the  wrought-iron  latch,  and  the  heavy  oaken 
door  swung  inward.  In  an  instant,  his  eye  swept 
every  corner  of  the  room,  and  Gloster  flew  into  his 
mother's  arms  with  a  cry  of  joy. 

"  What !  is  it  you,  my  Willie  ?  "  the  princess  said, 
caressing  him  tenderly.  "  And  alone  ?  You  know  I 
do  not  like  to  have  you  run  about  the  castle  unat 
tended." 

"  Yes,  I  know,  I  know,  mamma !  But  'tis  just  this 
once,  and  I  wanted  you.  I  have  business.  So  I 
stole  away  when  nobody  knew  it.  This  is  how  it 
was.  I  had  just  had  supper,  with  Lady  Fitzhardinge 
and  Lewis  Jenkins  in  attendance  ;  and  then  my  lady 
was  fain  to  go  to  her  chamber,  and  Lewis  went  to 
carry  her  train.  Then  I  flew,  —  and  here  I  am  !  " 

The  princess  tried  to  frown,  but  laughed  instead. 

"  So  I  see,  so  I  see,  and  I  greatly  fear  it  was  a 
naughty  trick,  my  Will.  But  tell  me  now  —  where 
was  my  Lady  Fitzhardinge's  page,  that  Lewis  Jen 
kins  found  it  needful  to  play  the  part  of  train- 
bearer  to  her  ladyship  ?  " 

"  Harry  Hamilton  ?  Why,  my  lady  allowed  him 
to  see  the  cricket  match  this  afternoon  over  at  Eton. 
But  won't  there  be  a  pother  when  they  find  I  am 


IN  KINGS'1   HOUSES.  65 

gone  !  "  and  the  boy's  blue  eyes  danced  with  glee  at 
the  thought. 

Truth  to  tell,  those  of  his  mother  danced  also. 
Anne  was  punctilious,  and  knew  well  the  etiquette 
of  courts  ;  but  as  far  as  it  touched  her  family  life  and 
loves,  she  found  it  burdensome.  It  was  always  a 
delight  to  both  when  she  could  have  her  little  son 
to  herself,  out  of  reach  of  tutors,  governesses,  and 
gentlemen-in-waiting. 

One  great  fear  had  long  harassed  her,  —  the  fear 
that  he  would  be  taken  from  her  by  King  William, 
and  placed  in  charge  of  some  nobleman,  or  ecclesi 
astic,  during  the  period  of  his  education.  This  was 
quite  according  to  precedent,  and  had  been  for  many 
ages.  But  the  small  duke  was  a  frail  child,  and  had 
been  reared,  even  thus  far,  with  difficulty.  To  tear 
him  from  his  mother's  watchful,  brooding  care  might 
mean  disaster,  if  not  death.  It  is  not  strange  if  Anne 
felt  that  the  stern,  hard  brother-in-law  to  whom  she 
had  yielded  the  throne  held  in  his  hands  a  weapon 
by  means  of  which  he  might  easily  reach  her  heart. 

But  presently  the  lad  withdrew  from  the  arms  that 
held  him  close,  and,  drawing  forward  a  small  tabouret, 
seated  himself  at  his  mother's  knee. 

"  Now  for  business,"  she  said,  smiling. 

"Yes,"  Gloster  answered,  very  gravely.  "I  said 
I  had  business.  Mamma,  I  want  to  talk  to  you  about 
Robin." 


66  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

"Dame  Dorothy's  little  lad?  Well,  — what  of 
him  ? " 

"  I  want  him  for  one  of  my  men  —  my  soldiers.  I 
spoke  to  him  about  it.  Do  you  think  Dame  Dorothy 
would  object  ? "  he  asked,  anxiously. 

The  princess  laughed,  undeterred  by  the  grave, 
earnest  face,  with  thoughtful  blue  eyes  that  sought 
her  own  inquiringly.  "  Verily,"  she  said,  "  one 
would  imagine  the  objecting  might  be  on  the  other 
side.  But  what  do  you  want  of  this  Robin,  pretty 
lad  though  he  be  ?  Haven't  you  men  enough 
already  ? " 

"  Not  so  many  as  I  had  in  Kensington.  I  had 
two  whole  companies  there.  But  that  is  not  all, 
mamma.  A  soldier  is  one  thing,  and  a  friend  is 
another.  I  must  have  Robin  for  my  friend." 

"  But  have  you  not  friends  enough  already  ?  Did 
I  not  send  to  Eton  for  four  lads  to  bear  you  com 
pany  ?  See  now,  while  I  tell  them  over.  There 
are  Peter  Bathurst  and  his  brother,  and  Arthur 
Churchill,  and  Peter  Boscawen,  to  say  nothing  of 
Harry  Hamilton,  and  the  other  boys.  What  need 
have  you  of  more  ?  Do  you  not  like  them  ? " 

"  Yes,  mamma,  I  like  them  well  enough.  But  not 
as  I  like  Robin.  I  love  him  greatly." 

"  Well,  well !  but  this  seems  to  be  a  case  of  love 
at  first  sight.  And  does  Robin  love  you  ?  " 

"  Indeed  he  does.     We   said    a  rhyme   together, 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES.  6/ 

and  shook  hands  on  it.  May  I  repeat  it  to  you, 
mamma  ? " 

"  Certainly.  I  shall  hearken  with  great  pleasure. 
I  am  rather  fond  of  love  songs,"  said  the  princess. 
"  Go  on." 

The  child  rose  and  stood  before  her,  clasping  his 
small  hands,  while  he  repeated,  in  a  low  voice : 

"  We  will  be  friends 
Until  life  ends ; 
Until  death  parts 
Our  loving  hearts." 

"  Heaven  save  us  !  "  cried  the  princess,  "  but  this 
seems  to  be  serious  business.  Which  made  the 
rhyme,  you  or  Robin  ? " 

"  We  made  it  together,  mamma.  I  made  the  first 
two  lines,  and  Robin  the  last  two.  But  tell  me, 
mamma  !  May  I  have  Robin  here  at  the  castle  ?  Do 
not  stop  to  think,"  he  cried,  dancing  about  impa 
tiently.  "  Jenkins  will  find  me  in  two  minutes.  May 
I  have  Robin  ? " 

But  just  then  an  obsequious  knock  was  heard, 
followed  by  the  voice  of  the  faithful  Welsh  usher, 
asking  if  the  duke  was  within. 

"  Gloster  is  here.  You  shall  have  him  presently," 
answered  the  princess.  "  Now  go  you  quietly  with 
Jenkins,"  she  added,  "  and  tell  him  you  were  naughty 
to  run  away  from  him.  Nay,  you  must  have  pa- 


68  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

tience,  child.  I  will  think  of  this  matter,  and  talk 
with  you  again.  But  now  good  night." 

Two  days  after  this,  a  groom  in  the  scarlet  and 
gold  livery  of  the  Princess  Anne  drew  rein  before 
Dame  Dorothy's  porch.  He  bore  to  her  the  com 
mand  of  his  royal  mistress,  that  she  should  present 
herself  at  the  castle  next  morning  by  ten  of  the 
clock,  bringing  with  her  her  little  grandson,  Robin 
by  name. 

Dame  Dorothy  curtseyed. 

"  Make  my  reverence  to  her  Royal  Highness," 
she  said  ;  "  I  will  do  her  bidding." 

"  Good  lack  !  "  cried  Mat  Hansel.  "  Of  course 
you  will !  It  is  not  every  day  that  a  woman  of  your 
order  is  summoned  to  the  castle  by  command  of  the 
princess  herself.  'Tis  a  great  honor.  If  it  were 
Mistress  Randee,  the  housekeeper,  now,  it  would  be 
quite  another  matter.  But  'tis  the  princess,  herself, 
I  say." 

However,  he  accepted  graciously  a  stirrup-cup  of 
foaming  beer  presented  at  that  moment  by  Betty 
Macthorne,  and  drained  it  to  the  dregs  at  one 
draught. 

"Truely  a  fair  and  comely  damsel,"  he  said,  with 
a  low  bow,  after  the  manner  of  his  betters,  as  he 
returned  the  flagon.  "  I  give  you  thanks,  Dame  Dor 
othy,  for  the  day  is  hot  and  my  throat  was  parched. 
But  to  business.  You  are  to  be  at  the  foot  of  St. 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES.  69 

John's  Tower  by  ten  o'  the  clock ;  and  there  you 
will  be  met  by  one  who  will  convey  you  to  the  pres 
ence  of  her  Royal  Highness.  Do  you  understand 
the  matter  ? " 

"Surely  I  have  wit  enow  for  that,"  was  the  answer. 
"  It  is  not  so  wondrous  hard.  Hear  now !  God 
willing,  I  will  be  at  the  foot  of  St.  John's  Tower 
to-morrow  morning  at  ten  o'  the  clock.  Is  that 
right  ? " 

"Good  day,  then,"  said  the  groom,  replacing  the 
cap  he  had  removed  while  drinking.  "  Might  this 
young  damsel  be  your  daughter  ? " 

"  She  might  be,  but  she  is  not,"  Dame  Dorothy 
replied,  somewhat  curtly.  "  Good  day  to  you,  and 
thanks  for  your  kind  offices.  Run  into  the  house, 
Betty,"  she  added,  in  a  low  tone,  as  the  girl  lingered 
in  the  doorway.  "  No  need  to  stand  staring  there 
like  a  gawk." 

She  did  not  intend  that  Betty's  head  should  be 
turned  by  compliments  at  so  early  a  stage  in  its 
career. 

"  It  is  time  to  spread  the  cloth  for  dinner,  child," 
she  said,  kindly,  as  they  went  indoors.  "  Put  out  the 
veal  pasty  I  made  last  night,  with  a  manchet  of 
brown  bread,  and  a  bit  of  cheese." 

But  Betty  lingered,  with  her  hand  on  the  door- 
latch,  and  her  eyes  on  Mat  Hansel's  flying  figure. 

"  Is  it  true,  mistress  ?  "  she  asked,  in  a  low,  tremu- 


7O  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

lous  voice.  "  Am  I  '  fair  and  comely,'  as  he  said  ? 
Why,  the  very  boys  in  London  streets  used  to  jeer 
and  hoot  at  me,  and  call  me  a  blackamoor,  and  other 
hard  names,  till  I  cried  for  very  shame,  and  thought 
I  was  but  a  blot  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  Is  it  true 
what  he  said  ?" 

"Nay,  but  that  is  all  nonsense,  child.  Fair,  or 
foul,  you  are  as  God  made  you.  Not  but  that  you're 
well  enow  ;  yes,  you're  well  enow.  Many  a  lass  looks 
worse.  But  as  for  these  young,  foolish  gallants,  like 
him  of  the  scarlet  coat  yonder,  never  do  you  heed 
what  they  may  say,  my  Betty.  They  have  plenty  of 
fine  phrases  that  they  scatter  about,  never  heeding 
whether  they  be  fitting  or  no.  But  you're  well 
enow,  child,  if  you  do  but  keep  yourself  clean  and 
tidy." 

Betty  ran  off  to  her  work,  half  forgetting,  in  this 
new  interest,  that  her  mistress  and  Robin  had  been 
summoned  to  the  castle.  But  when  she  went  to  dip 
water  from  a  clear,  running  spring  behind  the  cot 
tage,  she  looked  long  and  earnestly  at  the  face  that 
peered  up  at  her  from  its  depths  —  a  mirror  framed 
in  green  mosses. 

She  frowned  as  she  looked.  "  I  am  not  '  fair  and 
comely,'"  she  said.  "He  was  but  jesting  —  that 
man.  My  hair  does  not  curl,  and  my  nose  is  awry, 
and  my  mouth  — 

But  here  she  broke  into  a  laugh,  and  spoiled  the 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  7 1 

picture  as  she  sent  the  bucket  splashing  down  into 
the  cool,  green  depths  below.  Not  a  doll's  face,  cer 
tainly ;  but  the  clear,  steady  eyes  told  their  own  tale  of 
truth  and  loyalty ;  and  the  mouth  she  had  so  laughed 
to  scorn  would  one  day  settle  into  curves  of  mingled 
strength  and  sweetness.  Mat  Hansel  was  not  so  far 
out  of  the  way,  after  all. 

The  gray  cottage  was  astir  betimes  the  next  morn 
ing.  Betty  was  jubilant,  fully  believing  that  this  great 
honor  had  come  to  her  mistress  and  Robin  through 
her.  Never  was  the  breakfast-table  more  daintily 
set  forth ;  and,  as  an  offering  acceptable  to  the  pro 
pitious  gods,  a  brown  stone  jug  overflowing  with  jon 
quils  had  the  place  of  honor  in  the  middle.  A  rasher 
of  bacon  and  some  eggs  gave  out  delicious  odors,  but 
Dame  Dorothy  ate  little  and  Robin  even  less. 

"  Master  Robin,  you  do  not  eat  your  breakfast. 
You  will  need  plenty  of  strength  to-day,  with  all  the 
fine  doings,"  Betty  remarked,  anxiously,  as  she  flitted 
in  and  out.  "  Come  now,  mistress,  will  it  not  be  well 
for  me  to  make  him  a  posset  of  new  milk  with  a  sup 
of  raspberry  cordial  in  it  ?  It  might  hearten  him  up 
a  bit." 

Dame  Dorothy  laughed,  but  shook  her  head,  while 
Robin  made  brave  but  futile  attempts  at  doing  tren 
cher  duty.  He  said  nothing,  but  glanced  now  and 
then  at  the  sun  that  was  rising  high  in  the  heavens. 

"There's  no  need  of  haste,  sweetheart,"  said  the 


72  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

grandmother.  "  Even  my  old  legs  can  carry  me  to 
the  town  in  half  an  hour,  and  there's  no  use  standing 
about,  staring,  before  we  are  wanted.  Come  hither, 
and  let  me  make  thy  collar  straight,  and  fasten  thy 
hose  that  they  do  not  be  dangling  about  thine  heels. 
I  would  have  bought  thee  a  new  pair  of  garters,  if  I 
had  but  foreseen  what  was  coming." 

As  the  child  stood  before  her,  patiently  submitting 
to  the  touch  of  her  deft  fingers,  she  was  struck  anew 
with  a  sense  of  his  remarkable  beauty.  Surely  there 
would  be  none  fairer  than  he  in  the  old  castle  on  the 
hill.  He  wore  a  little  suit  of  brown  frieze,  the  very 
color  of  his  eyes  and  hair,  faced  back  with  scarlet, 
and  a  scarlet  cap  with  a  silken  tassel.  His  broad 
collar  and  deep  cuffs  were  of  fine  linen,  thanks  to 
Dame  Dorothy's  own  skill.  She  bought  no  linen  of 
the  mercer,  not  she  ! 

As  for  herself,  she  wore  the  petticoat  of  puce-col 
ored  flannel  that  she  had  worn  on  the  day  of  the 
princess's  visit,  with  an  overgown  of  gray  wool,  and 
the  same  muslin  hood  and  deep  lappets.  But  in 
honor  of  the  occasion  she  had  brought  forth  from 
the  depths  of  an  oak  chest  a  fine  white  apron,  edged 
with  drawn-work.  Robin,  boy-like,  had  taken  but 
little  note  of  his  own  array,  but  he  looked  with  ap 
proving  eyes  on  his  grandmother.  "  You  look  very 
nice,"  he  said,  smoothing  down  the  white  folds  of 
her  apron.  "Almost  like  a  lady.  I  suppose  you 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  73 

looked  like  this  always,  when  you  lived  in  kings' 
houses." 

"  Ah,  no !  I  was  young  then,  laddie,  and  my 
cheeks  were  like  the  damask  roses.  But  —  like  a 
lady !  If  I  were  a  real  lady,  now,  and  were  called 
to  her  Grace's  presence,  I  should  wear  a  coif  set 
with  seed  pearls,  and  a  veil  of  Flanders  lace.  But 
God  forgive  me !  The  muslin  hood  is  fine  enow  for 
me,  and  I  am  well  content  with  it.  Come  now, — 
we'll  be  going." 

Hand  in  hand,  in  the  sweet  morning  stillness,  they 
went  on  their  way  to  the  castle,  —  down  what  is  now 
the  Long  Walk,  but  which  was  then  but  a  wildwood 
road  through  a  mass  of  tangled  verdure,  with 
glimpses  of  the  blue  sky  shining  through  the 
overhanging  boughs.  But  ever  and  anon  the  gray 
towers  and  turrets  rose  before  them,  with  the  mas 
sive,  stately  keep  dominating  all. 

The  little  town  seemed  asleep  as  they  turned  into 
High  Street,  for  it  was  not  market-day,  and  the  busi 
ness  of  the  place  had  scarce  begun.  Robin's  eyes 
grew  large  and  dark,  and  his  hand  clasped  that  of 
his  grandmother  tightly  as  they  passed  under  King 
Henry's  Gateway  and,  entering  the  lower  court, 
walked  slowly  up  the  hill. 

"And  whither  do  we  go  now?"  the  lad  asked, 
looking  up  at  the  great  Round  Tower.  "Granny, 
granny,  do  you  know  the  way  to  go  ? " 


74  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

"  Never  fear,  laddie,  I  can  find  my  way  to  St. 
John's  Tower.  Hark  !  " 

For  just  then  they  were  passing  St.  George's 
Chapel.  A  bell  was  tolling  softly,  and  through  the 
open  door  came  the  deep,  rolling  thunder  of  the 
organ.  "  Would  you  like  to  look  in  ?  "  she  said. 
"  There  will  be  services  later,  but  it  is  not  time  yet. 
Shall  we  go  in  for  a  minute  ? " 

But  the  child  drew  back.  "  Oh  !  may  we  ? "  he 
whispered.  "  Is  it  not  the  King's  church  ?  " 

"It  is  the  house  of  the  King  of  kings,  and  the 
lowliest  may  enter  in,"  said  the  old  woman,  drawing 
him  through  the  portal.  The  beautiful  chapel,  with 
its  vaulted  roof,  its  richly  stained  windows,  its  lofty 
choir,  with  the  emblazoned  coats-of-arms  and  the 
banners  of  the  Knights  of  the  Garter  drooping  idly 
above  the  carved  stalls,  seemed  to  the  sensitive  child 
like  a  passing  glimpse  of  the  house  not  made  with 
hands.  He  trembled  and  his  eyes  filled. 

"  Not  now,  granny,  not  now,"  he  cried,  shrinking 
into  the  shadow  of  a  stately  column.  "  Sometime  I 
will  go  in  mayhap,  but  not  now." 

"Come  on,  then,"  she  said.  "In  truth  we  must 
not  loiter,  for  the  great  clock  yonder  hath  given  its 
warning,  and  it  will  soon  strike  ten." 


CHAPTER   VI. 

SKIRTING  the  great  keep,  from  whose  hoary  bat 
tlements  the  banner  of  England  floated,  with  the 
colors  of  the  Princess  Anne  fluttering  from  a  lower 
flagstaff  under  it,  they  passed  through  a  gateway  at 
the  right  into  the  upper  quadrangle,  and  crossed  the 
court  to  St.  John's  Tower.  Here,  in  a  small  Gothic 
porch,  they  awaited  further  orders ;  and  here,  pres 
ently,  Mat  Hansel  joined  them. 

"  So  you  are  here  in  good  time,"  he  said.  "  That 
is  well.  Her  Royal  Highness  doth  not  like  to  be 
kept  waiting,  as  I  have  learned  to  my  cost,"  and  he 
shrugged  his  broad  shoulders.  "Faith!  She  hath 
a  little  temper  of  her  own,  mild  as  she  seems,  for 
women  are  women.  Hast  ever  had  speech  with  her 
Grace?" 

"  Nay,  I  care  not  to  discuss  the  business  nor  the 
tempers  of  my  betters,"  she  answered.  "Will  it 
please  you  to  tell  me  how  I  may  be  brought  to  the 
presence  of  her  Grace  ? " 

"Why,  that  is  just  what  I  am  here  for,"  he  said, 
flicking  the  dust  from  the  sleeve  of  his  red  jerkin. 
"  I  am  to  conduct  you  to  her  bedchamber  woman, 

75 


76  IN  KINGS1   HOUSES. 

Mistress  Abigail  Hill,  who  will  bring  you  where  you 
may  have  speech  of  her.  Come  on,  for  the  clock 
strikes." 

They  had  passed  the  guard-house,  when  a  quick 
roll  of  drums  came  from  the  windows  of  St.  George's 
Hall,  just  above  their  heads,  —  with  loud  shouts, 
shrill,  childish  voices,  outcries,  and  merry  laughter. 
And  in  a  moment,  down  a  great  stairway,  Gloster 
came  flying,  dressed  in  full  regimentals  and  wear 
ing  a  sheathed  sword  that  clattered  on  the  stones  as 
he  ran.  At  his  heels  followed  his  adjutant,  a  lad 
much  older  than  himself,  while  at  the  head  of  the 
stairs  swarmed  the  whole  army,  in  showy  red  caps 
and  coats,  armed  cap-a-pie. 

"  Halt !  go  back !  "  shouted  the  small  comman 
dant.  "  Back  to  the  Hall  this  instant !  It  is  not 
soldierly  to  leave  your  posts.  Go  you,  too,  Bos- 
cawen,  and  proceed  with  the  drill.  I  will  myself 
return  presently." 

Meanwhile  Robin  would  fain  have  lingered,  but 
Mat  Hansel  was  stalking  on  ahead,  looking  neither 
to  the  right  nor  the  left.  Dame  Dorothy  kept 
fast  hold  of  her  grandson's  hand,  half  dragging 
him  onward. 

"  Stop  !  Stop  !  Do  you  not  hear  me,  Robin  ? 
This  is  the  place !  "  a  clear  voice  "  called  after 
them.  "  Robin,  Robin,  come  back  !  " 

Dame  Dorothy  paused  irresolutely,  but  did  not 


IN  KINGS1   HOUSES.  77 

retrace  her  steps.  Robin,  however,  with  a  bound 
and  a  spring,  drew  his  hand  from  her  grasp,  and 
was  at  Gloster's  side  in  an  instant. 

"  This  is  well,  this  is  well ! "  cried  the  latter. 
"You  are  just  in  time.  Come  you  up  to  the 
Hall,  Robin,  and  Boscawen  will  have  you  armed 
and  equipped  in  a  trice.  Come  on  ! " 

"  Now  here's  a  fine  pother  !  "  cried  Dame  Dorothy, 
approaching  the  pair,  who  stood  with  clasped  hands, 
smiling  radiantly  at  each  other.  "  Nay,  nay,  my 
young  master,  this  may  not  be.  I  am  loath  to  dis 
please  you,  but  Robin  cannot  go  with  you.  He 
must  come  with  me  to  the  chamber  of  her  Grace, 
your  mother,  with  no  delay,  for  yon  young  gallant 
who  was  sent  to  guide  us  is  well-nigh  out  of  sight 
this  minute.  Neither  is  it  good  manners  to  loiter, 
for  we  were  to  be  with  my  lady  at  ten  o'  the  clock. 
Come,  Robin,  make  no  more  delay." 

"Yes,  you  must  go,"  said  Gloster,  ruefully.  "By 
my  sword,  but  this  is  a  disappointment.  I  thought 
it  was  all  settled.  But  hold  up  your  head,  and  don't 
be  afeard,  Robin,"  he  whispered.  "  I  told  her 
Grace  about  the  rhymes,  and  she  did  but  laugh." 

Away  he  sped  up  the  stairs  again,  while  Dame 
Dorothy  and  her  charge  followed  swiftly  the  reced 
ing  figure  of  Mat  Hansel. 

He  led  them  out  on  Queen  Elizabeth's  Terrace, 
and  thence  by  a  roundabout  way  to  a  flight  of  wind- 


/8  IN  KINGS'    HOUSES. 

ing  stairs,  at  the  foot  of  which  the  new  bedcham 
ber  woman,  Mistress  Abigail  Hill,  who  had  lately 
obtained  this  place  by  the  intervention  of  her  cousin, 
—  my  Lady  Marlborough,  —  was  waiting  to  take  them 
in  charge. 

"This  way,"  quoth  Mistress  Hill,  leading  the  way 
up  the  stairs,  that  wound  round  and  round,  corkscrew 
fashion.  The  tower  was  high,  and  the  ascent  was 
lighted  only  by  narrow  slits  in  the  deep  masonry, 
while  the  steps  were  worn  into  great,  uneven  hol 
lows,  where  the  feet  of  the  generations  had  trodden 
from  age  to  age. 

Robin  was  overpowered  by  the  strangeness  of  it 
all,  the  sense  of  mystery,  the  vastness,  the  silence, 
and  a  new,  unexpected  dread  of  what  might  be  com 
ing.  He  clung  to  Dame  Dorothy's  hand,  and  his 
breath  came  quickly. 

"  My  heart  thumps  in  my  breast,  granny,"  he  half 
sobbed.  "  I  cannct  breathe !  These  stairs  are  so  long." 

"Yes,  laddie,  and  they  are  steep.  It's  aye  hard 
climbing.  Many  a  man  has  learned  that.  But  you 
must  not  be  afeard,  my  lamb.  You  came  not  hither 
of  your  own  wild  will,  but  because  the  princess 
commanded." 

Mistress  Hill  left  them  in  a  small  anteroom. 
Presently  she  returned ;  and  lifting  the  heavy  hang 
ings  of  faded  tapestry,  motioned  them  to  enter  the 
presence  of  the  princess. 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES.  79 

It  was  a  large  oblong  chamber,  with  a  heavy  ceil 
ing  of  carved  and  panelled  oak,  black  with  age.  In 
an  alcove  was  a  richly  canopied  bed,  the  curtains  and 
coverlet  being  of  green  velvet,  embroidered  with  sil 
ver  thread.  The  great  mirror  that  hung  above  the 
low  toilet-table  was  framed  in  silver,  and  on  the  table 
itself  was  a  glittering  array  of  bottles,  pounce- boxes, 
brushes,  and  other  toilet  articles,  all  mounted  in  the 
same  precious  metal.  A  green  cockatoo  swung  in  a 
silver  cage,  and  on  a  silver  salver  was  a  green  choco 
late  service,  inlaid  with  silver  arabesques.  All  was 
green  and  silver,  reminding  Robin  of  a  certain  green 
recess  in  the  forest,  where  the  young  ferns  and 
mosses  crept  to  the  margin  of  a  silver  stream. 

The  princess,  in  a  silken  morning  gown,  sat  in  a 
high-backed  oaken  chair,  with  one  small,  slippered 
foot  resting  on  a  velvet  cushion.  She  had  been 
extremely  pretty  in  her  early  youth,  with  her  round, 
pliant  figure,  her  fair,  fresh  English  complexion,  her 
luxuriant,  dark  brown  hair,  and  her  dainty  hands  and 
feet ;  and  although  she  had  of  late  years  grown  too 
stout  for  perfect  comeliness,  she  was  still  fair,  with  a 
royal  dignity  in  the  poise  of  her  well-shaped  head, 
and  much  of  the  charm  that  belongs  to  beautiful 
womanhood.  At  least,  this  was  the  impression  re 
ceived  by  Dame  Dorothy,  as  with  one  keen  glance 
about  the  room  she  passed  swiftly  down  its  long 
length,  dropped  on  one  knee,  and  kissed  the  hand 
extended  to  her. 


80  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

"God  bless  my  Lady  Anne  Stuart,"  she  said. 
"  It  does  my  old  heart  good  to  see  her  thus  in  the 
palace  of  her  fathers,  —  abiding  her  time." 

The  princess  smiled,  but  did  not  reply  directly. 
Resuming  the  work  she  had  dropped,  —  for  she  had 
been  deftly  mending  a  rent  in  a  bit  of  lace,  —  she 
dismissed  Mistress  Hill,  and  motioned  the  old  woman 
to  a  seat  on  a  divan  near  her. 

"  Now  is  not  that  well  done  ? "  she  said,  displaying 
her  handiwork.  "  If  I  cannot  spin  and  weave,  or  even 
darn  and  set  fine  stitches,  like  you,  Nurse  Dorothy,  I 
am  not  one  whit  afraid  to  match  my  needle  against 
that  of  other  folk.  But  I  wanted  to  speak  with  you 
about  the  lad.  Come  hither,  child." 

Robin  had  scarcely  ventured  to  set  his  foot  within 
what  seemed  to  his  reverent  little  soul  the  sacred 
precincts  of  that  chamber.  He  stood  in  the  door 
way,  one  hand  grasping  the  tapestry  that  screened 
it,  while  his  eyes  took  in  at  one  glance  the  unaccus 
tomed  splendor,  the  princess,  the  green  cockatoo, 
and  a  little  girl  who  sat  at  an  embroidery-frame  in  a 
deep  oriel  window  at  the  further  end  of  the  room. 
So  intent  was  he,  and  so  absorbed  in  his  observations, 
that  he  did  not  hear  the  summons  of  the  princess. 

"  Robin  !  "  cried  Dame  Dorothy,  "  dost  thou  not 
hear,  or  hast  thou  lost  thy  wits  a-looking  at  that 
cockatoo  ?  Come  hither,  and  make  thine  obeisance 
to  her  Grace." 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES.  8 1 

The  lad's  color  deepened  perceptibly,  till  his  olive 
cheek  glowed  like  the  innermost  heart  of  a  rose,  but 
there  was  no  awkwardness,  or  self-consciousness,  in 
his  manner,  as  he  knelt  at  the  princess's  feet. 

"I  crave  pardon,"  he  said,  "but  if  I  have  lost 
my  wits  it  is  not  because  of  the  cockatoo." 

The  princess  clapped  her  hands,  with  a  low,  mu 
sical  laugh.  "  Verily,  Dorothy,"  she  cried,  "  the  boy 
is  a  born  gallant !  In  what  school  didst  thou  learn 
to  make  fine  speeches,  sirrah  ?  "  she  continued,  draw 
ing  him  to  her  side,  and  looking  curiously  at  his 
small  brown  hands. 

But  the  incipient  courtier  was  evidently  puzzled. 
Like  "  the  hand  that  rounded  Peter's  dome,"  he  had 
builded  wiser  than  he  knew.  He  looked  inquiringly 
from  Anne's  face  to  his  grandmother's. 

"Nay,  madam,"  he  said,  after  a  little  space,  "I 
know  naught  of  fine  speeches.  But  I  never  saw  so 
fair  a  room  before,  nor  so  many  fine  things ;  and  I 
meant  to  say  that  if  I  had  lost  my  wits,  and  did  not 
give  proper  heed  when  your  Grace  called  me,  that 
was  the  reason  of  it." 

"  And  so  my  poor  room  meets  your  approval  ? " 
asked  the  princess,  smiling  on  the  boy  and  casting 
an  amused  glance  at  Dorothy. 

For  a  moment  he  looked  about  him  with  wonder 
ing  eyes.  He  did  not  by  any  means  fully  understand 
this  light  badinage,  yet  he  caught  a  glimpse  of  its 


82  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

meaning,  half  unconsciously.  "  My  grandmother  has 
told  me  much  about  kings'  houses,"  he  said,  at  last, 
in  a  low  tone,  "for  I  would  always  be  asking  her. 
But — she  did  not  tell  me  the  half,  after  all." 

"  And  would  you  like  —  but  never  you  mind ! 
Run  away  now,  and  look  at  the  cockatoo.  Where 
got  the  lad  that  queer  expression  about  'kings' 
houses,'  Dorothy  ? "  she  said,  when  he  was  out  of 
hearing.  "  It  sounds  wondrous  quaint." 

"  I  am  no  scholar,  my  lady,"  was  the  old  woman's 
answer,  "but  I  can  make  shift  to  read  the  lessons, 
with  some  spelling  of  the  long  words,  and  I  have 
read  them  to  him  daily.  Dost  thou  not  remember 
how  it  saith  in  Matthew,  the  eleventh  chapter  and 
the  eighth  verse,  '  Behold,  they  that  wear  soft  cloth 
ing  are  in  king's  houses  '  ? " 

"  Nay,  verily,  Nurse  Dorothy,  if  you  quote  Scripture 
to  me,  chapter  and  verse,  I  shall  soon  get  beyond  my 
depth,"  laughed  Anne.  "  The  texts  will  never  stick 
in  my  memory,  whether  I  read  them  in  my  closet, 
or  hearken  to  them  of  a  Sunday.  But  now  about 
Robin." 

There  was  a  knock  at  the  door,  and  Peter  Bos- 
cawen,  dropping  on  one  knee,  informed  the  princess 
that  her  son  craved  audience. 

"  Bid  him  come  in,"  was  the  answer.  "  But,  Bos- 
cawen,  stay  you  without.  How  now,  Gloster  ?  You 
seem  in  haste.  Is  the  army  routed  ?  " 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES.  83 

"  Not  so,  madam.  But  there  is  about  to  be  an  en 
gagement  between  the  French  and  English.  Both 
armies  are  even  now  in  battle  array.  I  came  with 
my  aide-de-camp,  to  ask  permission  to  take  Robin 
to  the  Hall  —  or  to  —  to  —  the  field,  I  should  say  — 

The  little  duke  had  given  the  military  salute  as  he 
entered,  and  stood  now,  an  erect  figure  with  sword 
and  belt,  his  hand  lifted  to  his  high,  plumed  cap. 

"  Certainly,"  his  mother  said,  with  utmost  gravity. 
"  Only  I  hope  there  will  be  no  bloodshed  —  or  at 
least,  as  little  as  comports  with  the  circumstances. 
When  the  battle  is  over,  you  will  report  here,  with 
Robin." 

The  young  commander  bowed  profoundly,  and  was 
about  to  withdraw  when,  unfortunately  for  the  main 
tenance  of  his  dignity,  he  caught  sight  of  a  wistful 
little  face  bowed  over  the  embroidery-frame  in  the 
oriel  window. 

"  Oh,  mamma ! "  he  exclaimed,  forgetful  of  his 
role,  "may  Anne  go  with  us  ?  Say  yes,  mamma!  " 

"But  she  has  her  task  to  do." 

"  She  can  do  it  when  she  comes  back.  Girls  !  "  he 
went  on,  half  pitifully,  half  scornfully,  "  what  good  is 
their  tapestry  work  ?  All  day  long  pulling  the  silks 
in  and  out.  Pray  let  me  take  her  to  see  the  battle, 
mamma." 

"  But  what  if  she  were  to  get  hurt  ?  Really,  it  is 
no  place  for  a  little  maid,  Gloster." 


84  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

"Ah,  but  I  should  have  told  you,  madam.  Mis 
tress  Randee  came  to  the  Hall,  on  one  of  her  own 
errands,  and  I  besought  her  to  stay,  telling  her  she 
would  be  quite  safe  in  the  minstrel's  gallery.  I  will 
put  Anne  in  her  charge ;  or  she  can  sit  in  one  of  the 
window  niches,  where  no  harm  can  come  to  her." 

A  pair  of  wistful,  pleading  eyes  looked  up  from 
the  embroidery-frame,  and  a  flush  burned  on  the 
cheeks  of  the  small  maiden  beside  it,  who  was  bend 
ing  forward  and  listening  eagerly. 

"Well,  well.  I  suppose  she  can  go  for  once. 
Come  hither,  Anne.  But  first  get  your  hooded 
cloak.  It  may  be  cold  in  the  Hall." 

"Tis  in  the  antechamber,  madam,"  said  the  little 
girl,  coming  forward  with  a  low  obeisance,  and  a  word 
of  thanks.  "  I  will  put  it  on  as  I  pass  out." 

Now,  for  the  first  time  since  he  entered  the  room, 
Gloster  turned  to  Robin,  extending  his  hand. 

"  Come  !  "  he  cried,  "  let  us  hasten  ;  "  and  the  three 
children  disappeared  behind  the  tapestry. 

The  eyes  of  the  princess  followed  them,  and  she 
was  silent  for  some  minutes,  while  the  cockatoo  flut 
tered  in  its  cage,  and  a  fly  buzzed  loudly  in  the  oriel 
window. 

"Dorothy,"  she  said,  at  last,  "  Gloster  has  fallen 
fathoms  deep  in  love  with  your  laddie,  and,  in  good 
truth,  I  do  not  much  wonder.  Thou  hast  had  great 
good  luck  in  rearing  him,  my  old  nurse,  or  else  God 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  85 

hath  given  him  such  a  nature  as  he  gives  not  to 
all." 

"  Nay,  my  lady,  doth  he  not  give  to  each  according 
to  its  need  ?  One  gift  to  the  birds  that  fly  in  the 
air,  and  another  to  the  fishes  that  swim  in  the  sea. 
He  knoweth  the  wants  of  his  creatures.  But  Robin  is 
a  fair  child,  and  a  good.  I  am  not  gainsaying  that." 

"  Why,  it  is  as  good  as  a  play,  or  a  story-book,"  and 
the  princess  laughed  outright.  "  The  lads  have  been 
making  rhymes  and  love-ditties,  a  kind  of  compact. 
Did  you  hear  of  it  ?  Something  about  '  hearts  '  and 
'  parts,'  and  being  friends  until  life  ends,  and  all  that. 
Gloster  stood  up  and  repeated  the  jingle  to  me  with 
quite  an  air." 

"  Ah !  dost  thou  remember,  dear  my  lady,  how 
thou  wert  wont  to  repeat  little  versicles  thyself  ?  and 
how  thine  uncle,  his  Majesty  King  Charles,  used  to 
bring  the  great  folk  to  hear  thee  ?  " 

"  Yes,  indeed,  but  I  did  not  make  the  versicles.  I 
left  that  to  the  verse-makers,  like  one  who  read  his 
poem  to  me  in  my  dressing-room  but  yesterday,  liken 
ing  me  unto  Diana,  and  I  know  not  what.  Methought 
'twas  stupid  stuff,  but  I  bade  Lady  Marlborough  give 
him  a  gold  piece  and  send  him  packing.  A  beggarly 
set,  these  poets !  Then  Robin  did  not  tell  you  of 
the  verses,  which  seemed  to  be  a  sort  of  covenant 
between  them  ? " 

"  Nay,  he  did  not  tell  me  of  the  verses.     But  he 


86  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

told  me  of  much  else  that  passed  between  them,— 
talk  of  his  Grace's  studies,  and  of  the  coming  days, 
and  of  much  at  which  I  marvelled  greatly,  thinking  it 
beyond  their  years.  Be  not  offended  with  me  for 
repeating  it,  my  lady,  but  my  young  Master  Robin 
declared  he  was  henceforth  sworn  friend  of  the 
duke's,  and  must  be  learning  the  Latin,  forsooth ! 
He  made  such  a  pother  about  it  that  I  was  fain  to 
go  and  see  the  priest  yesterday,  thinking  his  Rever 
ence  might  put  me  in  the  way  of  having  him  taught. 
Learning  is  a  great  thing,  no  doubt,  whether  for 
gentles  or  commons." 

"  The  '  priest,'  say  you,  Dorothy  ?  Talk  you  still 
of  priests  and  popery  ?  Their  day  is  over,  thank  God  ! " 

The  old  woman  shrugged  her  shoulders.  "  My 
Lady  Anne  Stuart  knows  I  am  no  papist,"  she  said. 
"  But  when  the  land  changes  its  religion  with  its 
king,  being  papist  to-day  and  Protestant  to-morrow, 
it  is  not  always  easy  for  an  old  tongue  to  order  its 
speech  aright.  I  did  but  speak  as  I  spake  in  my 
youth.  I  went  to  Father  Hunt,  who  was  once  par 
ish  priest  of  St.  Mary's." 

"And  now?" 

"Now  he  visits  the  sick,  comforts  the  dying,  and 
succors  all  who  are  in  need,  whether  they  be  papists, 
Church  folk,  or  non-conformists.  He  teaches  many 
lads,  also,  and  is  now  tutor  to  the  sons  of  Lord  Her 
bert  of  Somerset." 


IN  KINGS'    HOUSES.  8/ 

"  Very  like,  very  like !  Chaplain  too,  no  doubt. 
But  what  said  the  godly  man  about  the  Latin  ? " 

"  That  if  Robin  was  so  fast  for  learning  it,  it  were 
a  sin  to  gainsay  him,  and  that  he  would  himself  put 
him  in  the  way  of  being  taught.  That  is  all,  your 
Grace." 

There  was  silence  in  the  room  for  some  minutes. 
Then  said  the  princess,  "  Will  you  give  the  boy  to  me, 
Dorothy?  to  be  one  of  Gloster's  suite,  and  to  dwell 
under  this  roof  ?" 

Dame  Dorothy  sprang  up  trembling,  with  a  low  ex 
clamation  that  was  like  a  prayer.  Her  cheek  flushed 
and  paled,  and  her  eyes  rilled. 

"  Oh,  my  lady,  my  lady !  "  she  cried.  "  How  can 
I  answer  you  ?  How  can  I  know  what  is  right  ?  Give 
the  boy  to  you,  —  is  that  what  thou  sayest  ?  " 

"Yes,  — to  be  one  of  Gloster's  suite,"  repeated  the 
princess.  "  Is  that  so  dreadful  ? " 

"  Thou  canst  not  think  that,  dear  Lady  Anne,  for 
thou  knowest  how  I  love  thee.  But  it  is  so  sud 
den,  and  he  is  so  young.  None  can  know  so  well  as 
I  how  fair  he  is  and  how  full  of  promise.  Often  I 
have  lain  awake  till  the  dawn  broke,  thinking  of  his 
high  thoughts  and  ways,  and  dreaming  I  know  not 
what !  Yet  now,  —  nay,  nay,  my  lady.  I  cannot 
put  him  from  me  yet.  He  is  too  young.  He  is  but 
a  child." 

"  I  know,  I  understand,"   said   the  princess,  her 


88  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

own  voice  trembling.  "  Have  I  not  feared  Gloster 
would  be  torn  from  me  ?  I  will  not  take  the  lad 
from  you,  my  old  nurse,  yet  I  would  fain  let  Gloster 
have  his  way  in  this  matter.  Besides,  —  sit  you  down 
again,  Dorothy,  and  listen  to  me.  But  first  see  if 
there  be  any  in  the  antechamber,  for  I  cannot  abide 
eavesdroppers,  and  these  walls  be  full  of  them. 
All's  well  ?  Now  hearken !  Gloster  must  be 
trained  in  all  warlike  sports.  Such  is  his  father's 
will,  and  the  King's  command,  and  no  doubt  it  is 
needful.  The  King's  heir  must  not  be  a  milk 
sop—" 

"  The  King's  heir  ? "  interrupted  the  old  woman. 
"  Surely  he  is  your  heir,  my  lady.  What  right  has 
William  to  the  throne  that  you  —  a  Stuart  —  do  not 
grant  him  ? " 

"  Well,  well !  I  do  but  speak  as  I  am  bidden. 
Gloster  has,  as  you  know,  this  troupe  of  village  boys 
whom  he  calls  his  '  men,'  and  whom  he  drills  daily. 
They  are  well  enough,  as  lads  go ;  but,  nathless, 
many  of  them  are  rude  and  ill-taught,  and  interlard 
their  speech  with  oaths,  and  such  coarse  words  as  I 
am  loath  to  have  him  hear.  Neither  can  I  order  the 
speech  of  the  grooms ;  and  the  lad  greatly  affects 
the  stables,  and  all  that  pertains  to  horse-flesh. 
They  tell  me  curses  and  foul  words  are  becoming 
to  a  youth,  giving  promise  of  manliness  and  brave 
deeds.  I  know  not,  —  it  may  be  so,"  she  went  on, 


IN  KINGS1   HOUSES.  89 

with  a  long-drawn  sigh.  "  Prince  George  doth  but 
laugh  when  I  fret,  and  say  women  are  overnice. 
Surely  he  ought  to  know  better  than  I.  And  yet  — 
I  like  it  not." 

"  Yet  my  young  master  has  companions  of  gentle 
breeding.  Did  I  not  hear  some  talk  as  to  the  four 
young  gentlemen  your  Grace  brought  from  Eton  ? " 

"  Yes.  But  they  are  all  older  than  Gloster,  and 
more  like  caretakers  than  companions.  I  would  he 
had  a  friend  and  playmate  of  his  own  age,  —  and 
he  will  have  none  but  Robin." 

Suffice  it  to  say  that,  after  a  long  and  confidential 
talk,  in  which  great  plainness  of  speech  was  used  on 
both  sides,  it  was  settled  that  Robin  should  continue 
to  live  at  the  gray  cottage  with  his  grandmother,  but 
should  come  daily  to  the  castle,  sharing  in  the  little 
duke's  sports,  and  in  some  slight  degree,  at  least,  in 
his  studies. 

"  He  shall  be  taught  the  Latin,  if  he  is  so  set  on 
it,  and  no  thanks  to  Father  Hunt,"  said  Anne,  laugh 
ing.  "  Dorothy,  I  will  see  that  no  harm  comes  to 
the  lad." 


CHAPTER  VII. 

"Go  you  on  ahead,  Boscawen,"  said  the  small 
duke  to  his  adjutant,  as  the  children  waited  in  the 
anteroom  while  the  little  girl  put  on  her  hooded 
cloak.  "  Go  you  on  ahead,  quickly,  lest  the  men 
should  be  getting  uneasy.  Let  them  stand  at  ease 
till  I  come." 

Adjutant  Boscawen  saluted  his  superior,  and  went 
his  way. 

"Anne,  this  is  Robin  Sandys,"  remarked  Gloster, 
by  way  of  introduction.  Then  giving  a  hand  to  each, 
he  hurried  them  through  the  corridor,  and  down  a 
broad  flight  of  stairs  leading  directly  to  the  upper 
quadrangle. 

"  You  should  know,  Robin,"  he  went  on,  "  that  I 
am  allowed  to  have  St.  George's  Hall  for  my  drill- 
room  and  battle-ground.  It  is  a  noble  field,  fit  for 
any  army.  Here  we  are  !  " 

It  was,  indeed,  a  noble  room  that  met  Robin's 
bewildered  eyes ;  long  and  wide,  its  lofty  ceiling 
decorated  with  the  emblazoned  arms  of  the  Knights 
of  the  Order  of  the  Garter  from  its  first  institution, 
its  walls  hung  with  portraits  of  a  long  succession  of 

90 


IN  KINGS1   HOUSES.  9! 

English  sovereigns,  its  two  music  galleries,  and  the 
great  throne  with  its  background  of  emblazoned 
shields.  The  mullioned  windows  were  set  in  deep 
niches,  and  on  the  panels  between  were  inscribed 
the  names  of  knights  and  crusaders  famed  in  story 
and  in  song  even  from  the  days  of  the  Black  Prince. 
Truly,  it  was  an  inspiring  playground. 

"Will  you  go  to  Mistress  Randee,  Anne?"  said 
Gloster,  hastily.  "  See !  she  is  in  the  gallery  yonder." 

"  Nay,  if  it  be  as  well,  I  would  rather  watch  the 
battle  from  one  of  the  windows,"  answered  the 
little  maiden.  "  It  will  be  nearer,  and  I  can  see 
better." 

"  Come  on,  then,"  he  cried,  and  with  Boscawen's 
aid  the  small,  golden-haired  damsel,  in  her  black 
cloak  and  hood,  relieved  only  by  a  white  border, 
was  speedily  ensconced  in  one  of  the  deep  niches 
like  a  saint  in  her  shrine. 

"As  for  you,  Robin,"  said  the  young  commander, 
"climb  you  up  into  the  window  next  to  Anne,  and 
keep  one  eye  on  her  while  you  watch  the  fight." 

Which  was  speedily  done ;  and  the  neophyte  set 
tled  back  under  his  stony  canopy  with  a  deep  sigh  of 
satisfaction,  not  forgetting  to  cast  many  watchful 
glances  at  Anne,  who  was  so  near  him  that  he  could 
have  touched  her  by  stretching  forth  his  arm. 

She  smiled  at  him  from  beneath  her  hood.  "  Dost 
think  any  one  will  be  hurt  ? "  she  asked,  in  a  voice 


92  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

audible  to  Robin,  but  smothered,  as  to  others,  by  the 
hubbub  of  the  army.  "  I  was  glad  to  come  hither, 
yet  now  I  would  be  glad  to  run  away.  A  battle  is  a 
dreadful  sight." 

"Aye,  a  real  battle,"  answered  Robin,  stoutly. 
"  But  when  all  is  said,  this  is  only  play.  Do  not  be 
afraid,  lady." 

"  Lady  !  "  she  cried,  laughing  merrily.  "  I  am  not 
a  lady  yet.  Do  you  take  me  for  a  grown  woman  ?" 

"  Nay.  Methinks  you  are  scarcely  mine  own  age. 
But  I  must  call  you  something,  if  I  speak  to  you,  — 
and  I  would  not  be  overfree." 

"  Call  me  Anne,"  said  she.  "  I  am  only  Anne 
Gascoyne,  goddaughter  to  the  princess." 

But  here  their  talk  was  interrupted  by  a  long  roll 
of  the  drums,  and  a  clear  peal  of  the  bugles.  A 
transformation  scene  had  been  going  on  below.  The 
west  gallery  had  become  a  battlemented  castle  with 
two  small  cannon  —  gifts  from  the  King  to  Gloster 
—  on  its  ramparts,  and  the  lilies  of  France,  or  the 
semblance  thereof,  floating  from  its  summit.  Just 
one-half  of  the  duke's  small  army  (for  he  scorned  to 
take  any  undue  advantage  in  point  of  numbers)  had 
changed  their  nationality,  and  become  Frenchmen 
under  the  command  of  Boscawen,  and  now  swarmed 
upon  the  battlements  of  the  beleaguered  castle. 
Boscawen  was  a  discreet  youth,  and  his  duties  were 
truly  multifarious.  In  time  of  peace  he  was  Gloster's 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  93 

adjutant  and  aide-de-camp.  In  time  of  war  he  was 
always,  by  order  of  her  Royal  Highness  herself, 
commander  of  the  enemy's  forces, — a  change  of 
base  that  must  sometimes  have  been  enough  to 
entail  mental  vertigo. 

And  now  the  mimic  warfare  began.  The  castle 
was  besieged.  Gloster's  men  rushed  to  the  onset. 
The  vast  hall  thrilled  with  the  uproar  of  the  toy 
artillery,  the  shouts  of  the  gunners,  the  clashing  of 
broadswords,  the  ringing  of  pikes,  Gloster's  shrill 
voice  in  loud  command,  and  the  deeper  tones  of 
Boscawen.  The  air  was  dense  with  the  whiff  and 
smoke  of  gunpowder,  and  minute  by  minute  the 
melde  grew  fiercer.  Of  course  it  was  foreordained 
that  the  castle  should  yield  at  last ;  but  Boscawen 
and  his  French  host  were  quite  too  wise  to  lower 
their  flag  until,  at  least,  seemingly  compelled  to  do 
so.  Easy  victories  were  not  to  Gloster's  taste.  He 
was  ever  in  the  thickest  of  the  fight,  shouting  and 
cheering,  his  white  plume  in  evidence  like  that  of 
Henry  of  Navarre. 

"  See !  "  cried  Anne.  "  See !  Gloster  is  half-way 
up  the  stairs  ;  he  is  mounting  the  battlements  !  Oh, 
Robin  !  Robin  !  " 

At  her  cry,  Robin  leaped  from  his  window  and 
was  at  her  side  in  an  instant. 

"What  is  it?  What  is  it?"  he  asked,  though 
he  could  scarcely  be  heard  for  the  din.  "  Hath 


94  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

aught  harmed  you  ? "  For  her  cheek  was  pale,  and 
the  hand  that  lay  upon  his  shoulder  trembled. 

"  Nay,  —  what  would  harm  me  ?  The  battle  is  not 
here,  but  yonder.  But  I  fear  me  Peter  Bathurst 
hath  wounded  Gloster.  See ! "  The  little  duke 
had,  indeed,  ceased  from  his  upward  climbing,  and 
was  standing  half  concealed  behind  one  of  the  guns 
that  his  men  had  captured.  But  in  a  moment  or  two 
he  dashed  forward  again,  and  the  strife  went  on,  till, 
amid  tumultuous  shouts  from  victors  and  vanquished 
alike,  Harry  Scull  tore  down  the  French  colors,  the 
French  army  marched  out  with  all  the  honors  of 
war,  and  peace  was  declared. 

But  the  hall  was  strewn  with  the  dead  and  dying. 
How  could  it  be  otherwise  after  so  fierce  a  battle  ? 
Lewis  Jenkins,  the  only  historian  who  makes  men 
tion  of  this  fray,  and  who,  a  veritable  eye-witness, 
watched  it  from  his  vantage-ground  in  the  east 
gallery,  side  by  side  with  Mistress  Randee,  now 
came  down  from  his  perch  to  see  if  he  could  be  of 
any  assistance. 

"Yes,  call  the  surgeon,"  said  Gloster,  wiping  the 
moisture  from  his  forehead,  and  loosening  his  sword- 
belt.  "  Bid  him  raise  the  dead,  and  succor  the 
wounded." 

For,  be  it  known,  on  the  authority  of  the  historian 
mentioned  above,  the  soldiers  of  the  Duke  of  Glos- 
ter's  small  army  were  singularly  fortunate.  By  some 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES.  95 

occult  process  inaugurated  by  their  commander,  and 
by  him  made  known  to  his  surgeons,  they  who  fell 
on  his  battle-fields  were  immediately  restored  to  life ; 
or,  in  case  of  the  merely  wounded,  to  full  vigor  of 
lung  and  limb.  This  process  was  called  "  breathing  life 
into  them."  Alas !  that  the  knowledge  of  it  should 
have  died  with  them,  and  vanished  from  the  earth ! 

The  surgeons  began  their  task,  and  one  by  one 
the  fallen  rose,  saluted,  and  marched  away.  It  was 
remembered  afterwards  that  the  duke  was  less 
absorbed  than  usual  in  watching  this  restoration. 
Robin  had  helped  Anne  descend  from  her  shrine, 
and  the  two  stood  a  little  apart,  the  one  with  a  look 
of  tender  anxiety  in  her  soft  eyes,  —  for  it  all  seemed 
so  strangely  real,  —  and  the  other  with  hand  on  hip 
and  head  erect,  smiling  at  the  farce  so  well  carried 
out.  But  as  the  last  private  departed,  Anne  gave  a 
little  cry,  and  sprang  to  Gloster's  side. 

"  Look !  "  she  cried,  tearing  away  the  silken  "scarf 
he  had  wrapped  about  his  neck.  "  See !  he  is 
wounded !  There  is  blood  on  the  scarf.  It  is  as  I 
said,  Robin  !  Peter  Bathurst  did  it  with  his  pike." 

Needless  to  say,  there  was  a  quick  stir  and  commo 
tion,  and  a  running  hither  and  thither.  Mistress 
Randee  came  flying  from  her  post  in  the  gallery, 
and  Lewis  Jenkins  swore  under  his  breath,  as  he 
examined  the  wound,  which,  sooth  to  say,  was  a 
rather  long,  deep  scratch  on  the  side  of  the  neck. 


96  IN  KINGS'    HOUSES. 

"Now,  by  my  soul,"  he  muttered,  "but  it  shall 
go  hard  with  that  careless  varlet !  His  royal  mis 
tress  —  " 

"  Hush  !  hush  !  "  cried  Gloster.  "  Not  a  word  of 
that !  It  is  not  Peter  Bathurst's  fault.  I  ran 
against  his  pike.  Cease  your  pother,  Mistress 
Randee,  and  bring  hither  a  strip  of  plaster.  It  is 
nothing  !  See  !  it  bleeds  no  longer." 

"Aye,"  wailed  Mistress  Randee,  the  housekeeper, 
drawing  some  court-plaster  from  her  capacious  pocket, 
"  there'll  be  an  end  to  these  fine  doings  now,  I'll  war 
rant  me,  Master  Jenkins.  Her  Royal  Highness  — 

"  Hush  again,  I  say !  "  cried  Gloster,  submitting 
meekly  to  the  plaster,  however.  "  Her  Royal  High 
ness  is  not  to  know  of  this.  I  tell  you  it  was  not 
Peter  Bathurst's  fault,  and  I  will  not  have  him 
blamed.  Do  you  hear  ?  Come  hither,  Robin  !  How 
didst  thou  like  the  battle  ?  And  as  for  thee,  Mis 
tress  Anne,  canst  thou  keep  a  secret  ?  " 

"  Nay,  I  know  not,"  she  said.  "  I  fear  I  may  tell 
it  in  my  dreams,  for  I  was  sore  afraid." 

"  If  thou  dost,  thou  shalt  never  see  another  bat 
tle,"  retorted  Gloster.  "Thou  mayst  stick  to  thine 
embroidery-frame  for  all  me.  No  one  must  tell  of 
this,"  he  went  on,  turning  to  the  group  around  him 
and  speaking  eagerly.  "There's  no  harm  done. 
Bathurst  does  not  so  much  as  know  he  touched  me. 
Was  I  such  a  baby  as  to  cry  out  ?  Lewis,  Mistress 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES.  97 

Randee,  Boscawen,  I  will  not  have  him  disgraced. 
Promise  me  you  will  keep  your  tongues  from  wag 
ging-" 

One  by  one  they  gave  the  pledge  demanded  by 

the  imperious  child,  extorting  from  him,  however,  a 
promise  of  greater  prudence  in  the  future. 

"  Now  I  must  take  you  back  to  madam,  my 
mother,  as  I  was  bidden,"  said  he.  "  Come,  Anne ; 
come,  Robin." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

AND  now  a  new  world  opened  to  Robin ;  a  new 
day  dawned  for  him.  The  months  that  followed 
were  very  happy  ones.  No  rose  ever  unfolded  more 
spontaneously,  more  rapidly,  in  the  dewy  warmth 
and  sweetness  of  a  summer  morning,  than  did  he 
under  the  stimulus  of  his  new  surroundings,  and 
the  joy  of  Gloster's  companionship.  Every  morning, 
at  a  stated  hour,  when  certain  of  the  little  duke's 
weightiest  duties  were  over,  —  those  that  more  espe 
cially  related  to  the  "getting  ready"  of  which  Robin 
had  questioned  him,  —  the  latter  went  to  the  castle. 
Every  evening,  at  a  stated  hour,  he  returned  to  his 
grandmother's  cottage. 

It  may  well  be  doubted  whether  that  stately, 
handsome  prelate,  Bishop  Burnet  of  Salisbury,  the 
newly  appointed  preceptor  of  the  small  duke,  or 
John  Churchill,  Earl  of  Marlborough,  his  chief  gov 
ernor,  were  quite  in  sympathy  with  this  new  whim 
of  her  Royal  Highness,  —  for  as  such  the  whole 
court  regarded  it 

"  This  boy,  Robin,  grows  to  be  the  very  shadow  of 
our  young  duke,"  quoth  the  bishop  one  day.  "  I 


IN  ICINGS'  HOUSES.  99 

confess  I  like  not  these  innovations.  Yet  there 
seems  no  harm  in  the  lad.  He  has  good  manners, 
and  keeps  his  place  well." 

"  Aye,  as  to  that,"  said  John  of  Marlborough,  as  he 
rose  to  take  leave  after  one  of  their  frequent  confer 
ences,  and  stood  in  the  doorway,  a  splendid  figure  in 
purple  velvet  cloak  and  full-bottomed  periwig,  "  Aye, 
as  to  his  manners,  my  lord  bishop  — 

The  bishop  interrupted  him  suddenly.  "  But, 
Marlborough,  I  tell  thee  'tis  a  sight  to  see  that  lad's 
eyes.  I  meant  not  to  speak  of  it,  but  'tis  an  inspira 
tion,  man ! " 

One  may  be  pardoned  for  thinking  some  inspira 
tion  must  have  been  needful,  both  to  master  and 
pupil. 

For  thus  wrote  Bishop  Burnet,  long  afterwards,  of 
those  daily  lessons  in  Windsor,  —  the  curriculum  of 
his  royal  pupil  when  less  than  ten  years  old  : 

"  He  came  to  understand  things  relating  to  religion 
beyond  imagination.  I  went  through  geography  so 
often  with  him  that  he  knew  all  the  maps  very  par 
ticularly.  I  explained  to  him  the  forms  of  govern 
ment  in  every  country,  with  the  interests  and  trades 
of  that  country,  and  what  was  both  good  and  bad 
in  it.  ...  I  acquainted  him  with  all  the  great 
revolutions  that  had  been  in  the  world,  and  gave 
him  a  copious  account  of  the  Greek  and  Roman  his 
tories  of  Plutarch's  Lives,  and  explained  to  him  the 


IOO  IN  KINGS1  HOUSES. 

Gothic  constitution  and  the  beneficiary  and  feudal 
laws " 

The  bishop  does  not  mention  the  Latin,  —  then 
considered  perhaps  (as,  indeed,  it  long  continued  to 
be)  the  most  important  part  of  an  English  lad's  edu 
cation.  But  we  may  be  sure  that  no  study  of  maps 
and  great  revolutions  crowded  out  declensions  and 
conjugations  and  the  due  repetition  of  "  ad,  ante, 
con,  in,  inter,  ob,  prae,  post,  sub,  and  super,"  —or 
whatever  its  equivalent  may  have  been  in  the  gram 
mars  of  that  day.  And  in  this,  as  in  much  else, 
Robin,  by  the  express  command  of  the  princess,  had  a 
full  share,  to  the  great  delight  of  Dame  Dorothy  and 
Father  Hunt. 

Meanwhile  the  drills  went  on  in  St.  George's  Hall, 
the  battles  and  the  skirmishing.  Robin  became  a 
gallant  little  soldier,  as  eager  for  the  fray  as  the  best 
of  them.  And  when  he  was  promoted  on  the  field, 
amid  the  generous  shouts  of  the  whole  army,  who 
should  be  first  to  congratulate  him  but  Anne  Gas- 
coyne,  a  hair's  breadth  taller,  and  a  trifle  more 
womanly  than  she  was  last  year  ?  She  often  watched 
the  battle  from  afar  in  the  minstrel's  gallery,  having 
quite  won  the  young  commander's  confidence  by  her 
reticence  as  to  the  escapade  of  Peter  Bathurst. 

One  night  Robin  came  bounding  down  the  green 
wood  path  from  Windsor,  announcing  that  at  last  he 
had  seen  the  King. 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  IOI 

"We  had  a  grand  field  day  in  the  upper  quad 
rangle,  and  his  Majesty  reviewed  the  troops." 

Dame  Dorothy  dropped  her  knitting. 

"His  Majesty  himself!  Well,  well!  I  suppose 
the  duke  thought  it  a  great  honor  to  have  his  men 
do  their  devoir  before  the  King." 

"  Indeed,  and  so  did  we  all.  It  was  a  grand  sight. 
All  the  great  folk  were  there,  —  her  Royal  Highness 
and  Prince  George,  my  Lord  Marlborough,  and  all 
the  ladies.  Yes,  —  and  the  little  Lady  Anne  Gas- 
coyne,  too,  all  in  white,  wearing  a  new  coif  set  with 
seed-pearls.  I  wish  you  could  have  seen  it,  too, 
granny." 

She  laughed  gently. 

"  Nay,  nay,  laddie.  It  was  no  place  for  me  in  my 
homespun  gown.  But  tell  me  about  the  King.  What 
said  he  ? " 

"  Oh,  he  made  a  fine  compliment  to  the  duke,  and 
gave  him  largess  money  for  his  men ;  twenty  golden 
guineas  to  be  divided  among  them  according  to  rank. 
What  think  you  of  that  ?  And  he  gave  two  guineas 
to  William  Gardner  with  his  own  hand,  saying  he 
beat  the  drum  equal  to  the  best  drummer  in  the  land. 
A  proud  lad  was  William  !  " 

"  No  doubt,  no  doubt.  Were  you  near  to  the 
King  ? " 

"Aye;  for  he  asked  Gloster  some  question,  —  I 
know  not  what,  —  and  then  he,  making  obeisance, 


102  TN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

took  me  by  the  hand  and  said,  'Your  Majesty,  it  is 
my  friend,  Robin  Sandys.' ' 

Dorothy's  eyes  flashed. 

"And  then?" 

"  Then  I  made  a  knee  and  bowed  before  him,  and 
he  said  something.  I  know  not  what.  I  was  dazed, 
and  there  were  many  eyes  upon  me.  So  I  drew 
back  among  the  lads  again,  and  that  was  all.  But 
we  are  all  pledged  to  the  King's  service  now,  I  can 
tell  you  that,  granny." 

"  •  To  the  King's  service  ? '     How  is  that  ?  " 

King  William's  grim  old  heart  would,  perhaps, 
have  stirred  happily  if  he  could  have  looked  in  at  the 
cottage  window  just  then,  and  seen  by  the  dancing 
firelight  the  quiet  old  dame  listening  absorbed  to  the 
boy's  prattle,  and  the  lovely,  dark-eyed  lad  telling  his 
story  with  such  intense  delight  and  interest. 

"  You  see  there  is  to  be  another  war  with  France," 
he  said,  —  not  heeding  his  grandmother's  interpola 
tion  of  "  Alack !  'tis  only  the  same  old  war  going  on," 
— "  and  we  have  all  put  our  names  to  a  paper. 
Boscawen  drew  it  up,  by  command  of  the  duke, 
as  was  fitting,  for  he  hath  a  right  clerkly  hand.  It 
read  thus : 

"'We,  your  Majesty's  faithful  subjects,  will  stand 
by  you  while  we  have  a  drop  of  blood.' 

"  Then  we  all  set  our  hands  to  it.  The  King  must 
have  been  pleased  when  he  read  it,  don't  you  think  ? " 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  1 03 

"  Surely  he  ought  to  have  been,"  said  Dame 
Dorothy.  "  But  who  put  the  duke  up  to  it  ? " 

"  No  one.  'Twas  just  his  own  thought.  And 
there  was  more.  He  called  for  the  pen  and  the  ink- 
horn,  and  this  is  what  he  writ  with  his  own  hand.  I 
remember  the  words,  because  he  bade  me  put  my 
hand  on  the  paper  to  keep  it  steady ;  and,  moreover, 
he  asked  me  could  I  tell  him  if  there  were  two  t's  in 
'dutiful.'  This  is  what  he  writ : 

" '  I,  your  Majesty's  most  dutiful  subject,  had 
rather  lose  my  life  in  your  Majesty's  cause  than  in 
any  man's  else ;  and  I  hope  it  will  not  be  long  ere 
you  conquer  France.' 

"  Then  he  signed  it,  —  Gloster,  and  made  a  fine 
flourish  under  the  name,  —  and  a  big  blot.  He  had 
a  mind  to  make  a  fair  copy,  but  there  was  no  time. 
So  he  looked  at  it,  frowning,  for  a  minute,  and  then 
folded  the  paper,  saying,  '  Faith,  Robin,  let  it  pass ! 
His  Majesty  may  take  it  for  a  big  black  seal ! '  But 
was  it  not  all  beautiful,  granny  ? " 

"Aye,  indeed,  beautiful,  beautiful,"  echoed  Dame 
Dorothy,  her  eyes  filling.  "  He  hath  a  loyal  heart, 
our  dear  little  duke." 


CHAPTER    IX. 

THE  days  came  and  went,  and  season  followed 
season.  The  semi-royal  household  was  not  always 
at  Windsor.  It  flitted,  after  the  fashion  of  its 
kind,  to  Kensington,  to  Campden  House,  to  St. 
James's,  to  Whitehall,  wherever  it  pleased,  save  to 
Hampton  Court,  which  was  King  William's  favorite 
among  the  English  palaces,  and  which  he  had  made 
as  much  like  one  of  his  beloved  Dutch  palaces  as 
circumstances  would  permit.  Here  he  was  accus 
tomed  to  seclude  himself  with  his  alien  followers. 
Truly,  whatever  else  may  be  said,  and  whatever  good 
undoubtedly  accrued  to  England  through  the  great 
revolution  of  1688,  the  manners  of  those  in  high 
places  had  not  advanced  in  elegance  and  outward 
refinement  since  the  days  of  the  courtly  Stuarts. 
The  proud  English  nobles  might  indulge  to  excess 
in  the  costly  wines  of  France  and  Burgundy,  and  be 
drowned,  like  Clarence,  in  a  butt  of  Malmsey ;  but 
they  certainly  were  not  filled  with  personal  admira 
tion  for  a  king  whose  particular  penchant  was  for  the 
gin  of  Holland. 

But,  whithersoever  the  Princess  Anne  and  her 
104 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES.  105 

little  duke  flitted,  he  at  least  was  always  glad  to 
return  to  Windsor,  where  Robin  was  sure  to  be 
among  the  first  to  greet  him.  No  sooner  did  the 
standard  of  the  princess  float  from  the  battlements, 
than  he  saw  it  and  answered ;  a  blithe,  boyish  figure 
racing  through  the  forest  glades,  eager  to  welcome 
him  whom  his  loyal  heart  called  friend  and  master. 

"Windsor  is  just  the  dearest  spot  on  earth!" 
Gloster  exclaimed  after  one  of  these  returns,  gazing 
up  at  the  great  gray  keep.  "  I  would  not  like  to 
live  where  nothing  had  ever  happened.  This  place 
is  full  of  stories." 

A  strange  gravity  was  growing  upon  him,  —  the 
shadow,  it  may  be,  of  oncoming  fate.  He  was  a 
boy  of  many  moods,  and  into  each  one  of  them 
Robin  entered  with  entire  sympathy.  Perhaps  the 
enduring  friendship  between  the  two  —  something 
that  had  become  far  more  than  ordinary  childish 
love  and  liking  —  was  chiefly  due  to  this. 

"  One  does  not  have  to  explain  to  Robin,"  Gloster 
had  confided  to  his  mother  one  day,  somewhat  to  her 
mystification.  "  He  always  understands." 

They  were  still  talking  of  storied  Windsor,  as 
they  strayed  into  St.  George's  Chapel,  and  seated 
themselves  in  the  carved  stalls  at  the  right,  nearest 
the  chancel. 

"  Yet  'tis  enough  to  make  one  sad,"  said  Gloster. 
"  I  often  think  of  it,  Robin.  Castles  last,  and  houses, 


106  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

and  even —  things,"  he  continued,  slowly,  as  if  groping 
for  the  one  word  that  would  give  expression  to  his 
thoughts ;  "  but  men  pass  like  shadows  and  are  for 
gotten." 

"  It  is  not  so,"  Robin  answered,  sturdily.  "  For 
gotten  ?  Then  why  do  you  love  Windsor,  for  the 
sake  of  those  who  dwelt  here  so  long  ago  ? " 

"  I  ?  Oh,  that's  a  different  matter !  So  do  you. 
But  how  many  of  those  who  come  here  to  pray  ever 
think  of  him  who  lies  behind  that  iron  gate?"  he 
went  on,  pointing  to  the  monument  of  Edward  IV., 
at  the  left  of  the  high  altar.  "  King  Edward  founded 
this  chapel,  and  yet,  even  under  its  very  roof,  it  is  as 
if  he  had  never  lived." 

Robin  looked  at  his  companion  earnestly  for  a 
moment,  and  then  his  eyes  turned  to  the  banners 
of  the  Knights  of  the  Garter  hanging  motionless  in 
the  still  air.  Over  their  heads  were  the  exquisite 
fan-shaped  vaultings  of  the  richly  decorated  roof, 
and  the  whole  space  was  bathed  in  the  many-colored 
light  streaming  in  through  the  stained  and  jewelled 
windows.  His  boy-heart  thrilled. 

"  I  tell  you,  great  men  are  remembered  whether 
they  be  kings  or  commons,"  he  said.  "But  what 
ails  you,  Gloster  ?  Why  do  you  speak  in  this  way 
—  you  who  will  be  a  king  some  day,  and  have  every 
chance  to  do  the  great  deeds  men  are  remembered 
by  ?  I  might  talk  thus,  but  not  you.  Oh,  I  can  see 


IN  KING'S  HOUSES.  IO/ 

it  all,  Gloster ! "  he  cried,  impetuously,  a  glad  light 
shining  in  his  eyes  as  he  turned  them  on  his  com 
panion.  "  I  can  see  the  day  when  you  will  be  a 
man  and  a  great  king,  and  as  noble  a  knight  as  any 
of  these  whose  arms  and  shields  are  in  our  great  hall 
yonder." 

Gloster  smiled  faintly  at  his  friend's  enthusiasm, 
hesitated  for  a  moment,  and  then  laid  his  hand  on  his. 

"Robin,"  he  said,  "there  is  something  I  have 
wanted  to  say  to  you  for  a  long  time,  —  since  before 
we  went  to  Kensington.  But  bend  nearer,  for  I 
would  not  that  the  serving-men  yonder  should  hear 
me.  I  shall  never  be  a  great  man,  nor  a  king, 
either.  Mark  my  words  !  " 

Robin  started,  and  his  color  deepened.  "  Not  be 
a  king  !  "  he  cried.  "  What's  to  hinder  ?  What  did 
you  tell  me  that  first  day,  so  long,  long  ago,  when 
we  sat  on  the  bench  by  the  beehives  ? " 

"  Yes,  —  I  remember.  But  I  was  hardly  more 
than  a  baby  then.  They  told  me  I  would  be  a  king 
when  I  grew  up,  God  willing,  and  I  believed  them. 
But  he  does  not  will  it.  Nor  shall  I  be  a  man, 
either,  which  is  of  more  account.  Mind  that  you  do 
not  speak  of  this,  though ;  not  even  to  Anne  Gas- 
coyne.  She  can  keep  a  secret  as  well  as  any  boy, 
but  she  would  think  she  must  tell  my  mother." 

"  But  I  don't  understand  !  Why  do  you  say  this  ? 
Gloster,  Gloster,  what  do  you  mean  ? " 


108  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

11  Hush,  hush !  Yonder  comes  Jenkins  with  my 
doublet.  Not  a  word  of  this  —  Nay,  dear  Robin," 
he  continued,  as  Jenkins  withdrew,  "  be  not  so  cast 
down.  Let  me  talk  freely  to  you,  for  there  is  no  one 
else  to  whom  I  can  speak." 

"  But  what  does  it  mean  ?  Are  you  sick  unto 
death,  Gloster  ?  What  is  it  ? "  cried  Robin,  under 
his  breath. 

"Nay  —  not    sick   unto  death;    not    that  —  yet," 

was  the  slow  answer.     "  It  means  that  I  have  never 

been  well  and  strong  like  you  and  the  other  boys, 

though  I  strove  to  hide  it.     It  grows  worse  with  me, 

-that's  all." 

"  But  does  no  one  know  ?  I  cannot  bear  it !  Let 
me  tell,  let  me  tell,  Gloster,  that  something  may  be 
done ! "  and  with  a  brave  but  futile  effort  at  com 
posure,  he  sank  on  his  knees  by  Gloster' s  side,  and 
laid  his  cheek  upon  the  hand  that  still  clasped  his. 

"  Oh,  there's  enough  done  !  "  said  the  other,  mak 
ing  a  wry  face,  and  smiling  brightly  in  spite  of  the 
gravity  of  the  subject  under  discussion.  "  I  have 
been  dosed  and  physicked  with  nauseous  drugs  till  I 
have  a  qualm  in  my  stomach  at  the  very  thought  of 
a  bolus.  And  as  for  bleeding !  —  Robin,  if  you  were 
to  prick  me  with  a  'bare  bodkin,'  as  was  said  in 
that  tragic  play  of  one  Will  Shakespeare  that  was 
played  before  the  court  last  Michaelmas,  be  you 
sure  not  one  drop  of  blood  would  follow.  They 


IN  KINGS*  HOUSES.  IOQ 

have  drained  me  dry."  And  here  Gloster  laughed 
out  so  merrily  that  Robin  took  heart  again,  and 
refused  to  believe  aught  was  wrong. 

"  'Tis  all  nonsense !  "  he  cried.  "  You  are  as  well 
as  ever  you  were.  The  boluses  have  cured  you,  and 
you  do  not  know  it.  Come  out,  now,  and  let  us  run 
races  on  the  terrace !  'Twill  stir  thy  blood,  and  do 
thee  good,  dear  —  master." 

Then  with  a  sudden,  overpowering  thought  of  all  that 
had  been  said,  his  eyes  filled,  and  he  turned  away. 

"  Nay —  nay  —  I  do  not  feel  like  racing  to-night," 
said  the  princely  boy.  "And,  Robin,  how  many 
times  must  I  tell  thee  ?  I  am  not  thy  master,  but 
thine  own  sworn  friend.  Come  out,  now,  and  let  us 
pace  the  cloister  walk  before  the  sun  goes  down,  for 
I  have  something  pleasanter  to  tell.  If  I  should  not 
live  to  be  a  man,  yet  one  of  my  dreams  has  come 
true.  I  was  made  Knight  of  the  Garter  while  we 
were  at  Kensington.  King  William  buttoned  the 
garter  with  his  own  hands,  and  hung  the  jewel  round 
my  neck.  I  am  to  be  installed  on  my  birthday,  and 
a  great  chapter  will  be  held  here.  Now  what  think 
you  of  that  ? " 

Robin's  delight  was  unbounded. 

"  Harry  Scull  told  me  he  heard  something  of  it," 
he  cried.  "  But  he  was  not  sure,  and  I  would  not 
speak  of  it,  knowing  you  would  tell  me,  if  it  were  so. 
'Tis  too  good  to  be  true." 


HO  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

"  But  'tis  true,  surely." 

"  Did  —  did  the  King  strike  you  with  the  sword  ? " 

"  Yes,  —  with  the  back  of  it.  Twas  not  like  Peter 
Bathurst's  pike.  It  did  not  wound  me.  But,  Robin," 
he  went  on,  the  laughter  dying  out  of  his  voice, 
which  was  strangely  musical,  like  his  mother's, 
"  what  is  the  matter  with  me  ?  When  I  was  but  a 
little  lad,  —  only  so  high,  —  I  longed  above  all  things 
to  be  made  a  Knight  of  the  Garter." 

"  I  know,"  said  Robin,  in  a  low  tone.  "  You 
spoke  of  it  that  first  day.  And  I  wondered.  I  did 
not  know  what  it  meant  — then." 

"  Yes ;  I  thought  it  would  be  a  proud  thing  to 
have  the  right  to  wear  the  jewel  of  St.  George  and 
the  Dragon !  But,  some  way,  I  don't  seem  to  care 
so  very  much  for  it  now.  'Tis  but  a  bauble ;  and  I 
have  real  dragons  of  my  own  to  fight.  Do  you 
think  that's  it,  Robin  ?  Don't,  don't  look  at  me  so, 
laddie !  It  hurts  me.  You  must  talk  to  me,  for,  as 
I  said,  I  can  speak  of  this  to  none  but  you." 

With  arms  over  each  other's  shoulders,  the  twain 
were  pacing  the  long  arcade,  the  bright  locks  and 
the  dark  ones  in  close  proximity.  Robin  had  seen 
Gloster  in  many  moods,  but  this  was  a  new  one.  He 
seemed  suddenly  to  have  grown  older ;  still  the  dear, 
familiar  friend  and  comrade,  yet  in  a  way  removed 
from  him  into  some  unknown  country.  Was  this 
the  effect  of  his  new  knighthood  ?  Talk  to  him  ? 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES.  Ill 

How  could  he  in  this  mood  ?  A  sudden  thought 
struck  him. 

" Gloster,"  he  said,  in  a  low,  awestruck  voice,  "tell 
me,  did  you  keep  the  vigil  ? " 

For,  if  he  had  kept  it,  what  might  not  have  come 
to  him,  what  growth,  what  power,  in  the  long,  dark 
night-watches  ? 

"  The  vigil  of  arms  ?  Nay,  I  did  not  keep  it.  Very 
like  they  thought  me  too  young  for  fasting  and  pray 
ing  and  lonely  watching  by  night  in  the  great  abbey 
where  there  are  so  many  dead  folk.  There  was 
nothing  very  serious  about  it,  —  only  jesting  and 
merrymaking.  Here  !  "  — and  he  pulled  a  crumpled 
bit  of  paper  from  his  pocket.  "  I  brought  this  to 
show  you,  and  then  came  near  forgetting  it.  Read  !  " 

It  was  a  scrap  torn  from  the  Gazette  of  that  week, 
containing  this  chronicle.  Robin  read  it  aloud. 

Kensington,  July  6th.  A  chapter  of  the  most  noble  Order 
of  the  Garter  being  held  this  evening,  by  the  sovereign  and 
eleven  knights  companions  of  the  said  Order,  his  Highness 
the  Duke  of  Gloster  was  elected  into  this  most  noble  society ; 
and,  having  been  knighted  by  the  sovereign,  with  the  sword 
of  state,  was  afterward  invested  with  the  Garter  of  George, 
the  two  principal  ensigns  of  the  Order,  with  the  usual  cere 
monies. 

"  Humph  !  That  sounds  serious  enough,  I  should 
think,"  he  said.  "  Am  I  to  keep  this  ?  "  and  Gloster 
assenting,  he  folded  the  bit  of  paper  carefully,  and 


112  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

stowed  it  away  in  the  sleeve  of  his  jerkin.  "  But 
still,  —  but  still,  —  I  wish  they  had  let  you  keep  the 
vigil,  Gloster." 

"And  why?" 

"  Oh  !  I  know  not  that  I  can  tell  you,  —  only  it 
seems  noble  and  fitting,  and  it  has  been  kept  by  so 
many  good  knights.  Perhaps  they  all  kept  it,  —  all 
those  whose  arms  are  in  the  Hall.  Since  ever  I  saw 
their  shields  and  devices  I  have  wondered  what  their 
thoughts  were,  alone  and  at  midnight,  when  they 
kept  vigil  in  the  holy  places  the  night  before  they 
took  their  vows.  It  makes  me  shiver." 

"  I  understand,"  said  Gloster ;  "  some  day,  a  great 
way  off,  when  I  am  not  here  to  see,  mayhap  you 
will  keep  the  vigil  yourself,  Robin.  Stranger  things 
have  happened." 

"  I !  I  keep  the  vigil  of  arms  ? "  cried  Robin.  "  I 
shall  never  be  a  knight.  I  am  not  a  high-born  gen 
tleman,  as  you  know  right  well,  Gloster." 

"  Yet  knighthood  may  find  you  out.  Many  a  one 
has  been  knighted  who  was  not  well-born.  Come 
out  into  the  sunshine.  It  grows  chill  in  here,  in 
spite  of  the  doublet." 

They  strolled  slowly  up  the  hill,  rounded  the  great 
keep,  and,  passing  through  an  old  Norman  gateway, 
went  out  upon  the  North  Terrace,  and  found  seats 
on  a  stone  bench  sheltered  from  the  wind  in  an  angle 
of  one  of  the  buttresses.  Above  them  was  the  hazy 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  113 

blue  sky,  over  which  a  few  white  clouds  were  slowly 
drifting ;  below  them  the  winding  Thames  in  its  set 
ting  of  fertile  fields  and  stately  forests,  all  bathed  in 
the  golden  light  of  the  late  afternoon ;  behind  them 
was  the  great,  historic  pile,  towered,  turreted,  battle- 
mented,  and  gray  even  in  that  far  day  with  the  sto 
ried  age  of  many  centuries  ;  and  not  far  off,  but 
beyond  the  river,  rose  Eton,  half  hidden  by  her 
encircling  trees. 

They  sat  in  silence  for  some  minutes,  drinking  in, 
as  boys  will,  half  unconsciously,  the  glory  of  earth 
and  air  and  sky.  At  last  Gloster  turned  suddenly, 
and  looked  at  his  companion. 

"  'Tis  a  fair  sight,"  he  said,  with  a  long-drawn 
breath.  "  Robin,  did  I  ever  speak  to  you  of  Mis 
tress  Davies  ? " 

"  Never." 

"  It  was  she  who  first  taught  me  of  God.  Nay," 
he  went  on,  quietly,  as  Robin  gave  an  exclamation  of 
surprise,  "  I  do  not  mean  that  I  had  never  before 
heard  of  my  Maker.  Mr.  Pratt  read  the  lessons 
duly,  and  if  there  chanced  to  be  a  story,  —  how 
Joseph  was  cast  into  the  pit,  or  how  the  boy  David 
slew  Goliath,  —  I  listened  ;  but  they  meant  nothing 
to  me.  They  were  but  fairy  tales  to  amuse  babies. 
Sometimes  they  amused  me,  and  more  times  they 
did  not.  I  was  a  little  heathen  till  I  knew  Mistress 
Davies." 


114  IN  KINGS'1   HOUSES. 

"  But  who  was  she  ?     Your  governess  ? " 

"  Oh,  no  !  She  was  just  —  Mistress  Davies.  It 
was  one  summer  when  we  were  at  Twickenham, 
and  lived  in  some  houses  that  belonged  to  her. 
She  was  an  ancient  gentlewoman,  very  old,  with 
white  hair  and  a  wrinkled  face,  but  I  loved  her 
well." 

Robin  flecked  the  dust  from  the  crevice  of  the 
buttress  against  which  he  leaned,  and  waited,  si 
lently.  At  length,  Gloster  went  on  : 

"  I  must  have  been  about  six  years  old.  It  was 
a  large  estate.  All  the  hedgerows  were  set  with 
fruit-trees,  and  I  remember  how  the  cherries  hung, 
all  richly  ripe  and  red,  the  night  we  got  there.  Mis 
tress  Davies  ate  no  meat,  it  was  said,  —  only  fruit 
and  herbs." 

"  But  of  what  she  taught  you  ? " 

Gloster  smiled.  "  I  was  with  her  a  great  deal," 
he  said,  "for  she  was  kinswoman  to  Lady  Fitzhar- 
dinge,  who  was  then  my  governess.  She  taught  me 
the  Lord's  Prayer,  and  the  Creed,  and  the  Ten  Com 
mandments, —  and  much  else.  Robin,  I  have  never 
seen  Mistress  Davies  since  we  left  Twickenham  that 
autumn.  She  must  have  been  well  past  eighty,  and 
she  died  soon  after.  But  I  have  never  forgotten ; 
and  when  you  spoke  of  the  vigil  of  arms,  I  thought 
of  her  words.  I  did  not  know  what  she  meant  then, 
when  she  said,  *  Child,  I  bid  thee  keep  the  faith ; ' 


IN  KINGS*  HOUSES. 

but  I  know  now.  If  I  did  not  keep  the  vigil,  yet  if 
I  live  to  be  a  man,  —  which  I  doubt,  —  I  will  keep 
the  faith,  God  helping  me.  I  must  now  that  I  am 
a  knight." 

"  You  would  keep  it  if  you  were  not  a  knight," 
said  Robin.  "  Do  I  not  know  ?  What  did  you  say 
when  Mr.  Pratt  was  catechizing  the  regiment  that 
last  Sunday  before  you  went  to  Kensington?" 

"  Indeed  I  don't  know,"  Gloster  answered.  "  I've 
forgotten  all  about  it." 

"  I  remember,  if  you  do  not.  Mr.  Pratt  asked  you 
this,  '  How  can  you,  being  born  a  prince,  keep  your 
self  from  the  pomps  and  vanities  of  this  world  ? ' ' 

Robin  paused,  and  there  was  silence  between 
the  two  lads  sitting  so  long  ago  on  Windsor  Ter 
race. 

"Well?"  said  Gloster,  at  length,  "Well,  what 
then?" 

"You  answered  thus,  — and  I  remember  just  how 
you  looked,  sitting  above  us  all,  with  the  light  from 
the  window  falling  on  your  head,  — '  I  will  keep 
God's  commandments,  and  do  all  I  can  to  walk  in  his 
ways.'  Don't  you  remember  it  now  ? " 

"Yes,  now  that  you  remind  me  of  it.  But  as  for 
the  'pomps  and  vanities,'  truly  I  like  them  well 
enough  ;  and  where' s  the  harm  ?  Jewels  and  peb 
bles,  — where's  the  difference  ?  The  same  hand  made 
them.  The  preachers  say  many  things  it  is  hard  to 


II 6  IN  KINGS1   HOUSES. 

understand,  and  Mr.  Pratt  likes  a  jewelled  clasp  for 
his  coat  for  all  the  catechizing." 

Robin  laughed  as  he  rose  from  his  seat,  and  drew 
his  hand  along  the  parapet.  "  It  grows  damp,  Glos- 
ter,  see!  The  dew  is  falling.  Tis  time  you  were 
in." 

"Then  I  will  race  with  you  to  the  third  tower. 
One,  —  two,  —  three,  —  and  away  !  " 

"  Good-night,  good-night,"  shouted  Robin  a  mo 
ment  later,  looking  back  and  laughing  as  he  touched 
the  goal,  while  Gloster  paused  midway. 

Lady  Marlborough,  who  was  always  in  the  train 
of  the  princess,  had  watched  the  two  lads  from  her 
window  overlooking  the  terrace. 

"  Do  but  look  at  them,"  she  said  to  her  kins 
woman,  Mistress  Abigail  Hill,  then  bedchamber 
woman  to  the  princess.  "  Do  but  look  at  them, 
sitting  there  in  deep  discourse,  their  heads  as  close 
together  as  two  peas  in  a  pod  !  I  tell  her  Royal 
Highness  it  is  not  fitting  her  son  should  be  so  thick 
with  such  as  he." 

"  Ah,  indeed  !     And  what  says  she  ? " 

"  She  does  but  laugh,  and  say  it  makes  the  duke 
happy,  and  no  harm  done.  'Tis  a  pretty  pass  !  " 

"Yet  he  is  a  good  lad,  that  young  one,"  said 
Mistress  Hill.  "  He  is  as  well-mannered  as  any  lad 
about  the  place,  and  I  heard  that  my  lord  bishop 
said  he  was  as  keen  for  learning  as  the  duke  him- 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

self,  and  would  be  a  fine  scholar.  I  see  no  harm  in 
him." 

"  You  !  you  !  "  cried  the  imperious  woman,  who 
would  fain  have  ruled  her  mistress's  household  as 
well  as  her  life.  "  You  !  What  has  that  to  do  with 
it  ?  I  tell  you  I  do  not  like  the  lad.  'Tis  no  honor 
to  the  scion  of  a  noble  house  to  be  on  good  terms 
with  Gloster,  if  his  favor  must  be  shared  with  such 
a  low-born  lout  as  this  one.  But  go  you  to  the 
princess,  now,  and  be  about  your  business ;  I'll  have 
no  more  of  your  words,"  and  she  swept  from  the 
room. 

Mistress  Hill  cast  angry  glances  after  her  over 
bearing  cousin.  " '  No  more  of  my  words  ! '  Hoighty, 
toighty  !  "  she  cried.  "  How  grand  we  are  !  But 
trust  me  for  saying  a  good  word  for  the  poor  laddie 
whenever  I  get  a  chance,  and  a  kind  word  to  him, 
moreover !  " 

So  saying,  she  ran  swiftly  down  the  turret  stairs, 
and  intercepted  Robin  as  he  was  hurrying  towards 
the  great  gate.  "  Here,  laddie,"  she  said,  thrusting 
a  box  of  comfits  into  his  hand.  "  See !  I  brought 
thee  this  from  London." 


CHAPTER    X. 

IT  may  have  been  owing  to  the  good  offices  of 
Mistress  Hill  that  the  Princess  Anne  bethought  her 
of  Robin  the  next  day,  and  of  a  request  of  her  son's 
that  had  not  yet  been  acted  upon. 

The  morning  thereafter,  Mat  Hansel  presented 
himself  at  the  door  of  Dorothy's  cottage,  at  an  un- 
wontedly  early  hour.  Betty  Macthorne  was  out  in 
the  dewy  freshness  of  the  young  day,  gathering  some 
watercresses  from  the  margin  of  a  tiny  brook  that 
trickled  lazily  along  behind  the  paddock. 

Mat  saw  her  stooping  over  among  the  rushes  ;  and, 
throwing  the  bridle  of  his  horse  over  the  branch  of  a 
low  tree,  he  speedily  joined  her. 

"  Give  you  good  morning,  my  lass,"  he  said. 
"This  promises  to  be  a  fine  day.  But  verily  these  be 
rare  cresses  you  have  here,"  he  added,  as  he  bent  to 
pull  one  of  the  wet  sprays.  "  I  have  seen  none  so 
fine  since  I  was  a  bit  of  a  gossoon  up  in  Derbyshire." 

"You  ride  early,  Master  Hansel,"  Betty  answered, 
picking  up  her  basket,  giving  it  a  vigorous  shake  to 
rid  it  of  the  superfluous  moisture,  and  moving  swiftly 
towards  the  cottage.  "Yes,  we  think  much  of  our 

118 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  119 

cresses.  My  mistress  says  they  have  a  wondrous 
fine  flavor." 

"  But  whither  away  so  fast  ? "  quoth  the  groom. 
"  Sit  you  here  on  the  stile  beside  me,  lass.  There's 
no  need  to  be  in  such  a  hurry.  Half  an  hour  is 
naught,  so  early  in  the  day." 

"  Nay,  Master  Hansel,  my  mistress  is  wont  to  say 
that  if  you  lose  a  half -hour  in  the  morning,  you  may 
chase  it  all  day,  and  never  catch  up  with  it.  Where 
fore  I  must  in,  and  be  about  my  business." 

"  But  stay  a  moment,  Betty,"  pleaded  Mat,  as  he 
strode  on  behind  her,  the  path  being  narrow.  "  Tell 
me  now,  lass  !  Wilt  thou  take  a  fairing  from  me,  if 
I  buy  thee  a  rare  one  next  fair  day  ? " 

"  Nay,  that  I  will  not,"  she  answered,  quickening 
her  pace.  "  I  take  no  fairings  from  the  lads,  be  they 
young  or  old,  —  and  methinks  you  are  somewhat  old, 
Master  Hansel.  I  give  you  good  morning,  and 
better  manners." 

But  he  put  out  his  hand  to  detain  her. 

"  Nay,  now,  girl,  I  tell  thee  I  meant  no  harm.  I 
like  thee  well,  and  would  fain  be  friends  with  thee  if 
thou  wilt,  —  and  I  know  no  better  way  to  begin  than 
by  offering  thee  a  fairing,  such  as  'tis  said  all  lassies 
love.  I  am  sorry  thou  art  wroth.  However,  I  came 
not  here  to  say  this.  I  must  have  speech  with  thy 
mistress." 

Betty's  cheek  was  the  color  of  the  damask  roses  in 
the  garden. 


120  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

"I  know  not  that  I  am  wroth,"  she  said,  looking 
at  him  quietly.  "  But  I  like  not  fine  speeches.  Sit 
you  here  on  this  settle  beside  the  door,  and  I  will 
bring  my  mistress  to  thee  anon." 

Dame  Dorothy  appeared  in  due  time,  and  Mat 
rose,  cap  in  hand,  to  deliver  his  message,  wondering 
a  little  in  his  honest  soul  why  he  did  so,  and  why 
it  was  that  he  was  always  a  trifle  in  awe  of  Dame 
Dorothy. 

She  was  to  come  to  the  castle  the  next  morning, 
and  repair  at  once  to  her  Grace's  closet,  a  small, 
octagon-shaped  chamber  in  one  of  the  turrets. 

The  princess  sat  in  the  deep  oriel  window,  look 
ing  out  on  the  beautiful  terrace,  and  afar  to  the 
distant  hills,  when  Dorothy  entered,  escorted  by  the 
bedchamber  woman. 

"  Sit  thee  down,  Dorothy,"  she  said ;  "  I  have 
somewhat  to  say  to  thee." 

"Is  aught  wrong,  my  Lady  Anne?  Is  aught 
wrong  with  Robin  ? "  the  elder  woman  asked,  tremu 
lously. 

"With  Robin?  Oh,  no!  Yet  it  is  of  him  I 
would  speak  to  you.  You  have  heard  that  Gloster 
has  the  garter  ?  " 

"Yes,  my  princess,  Robin  told  me." 

"  Well,  I  have  more  to  tell  you.  Gloster  beseeches 
me  that  he  may  be  one  of  his  attendants  at  the  pro 
cession  and  banquet  of  installation." 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  121 

Dorothy  sat  with  her  hands  clasped,  discreetly 
silent.  If  they  trembled  a  little,  not  even  Mistress 
Hill  was  aware  of  it.  While  Robin  had  so  long  been 
a  frequenter  of  the  castle,  and  the  sharer  of  the 
young  duke's  studies  as  well  as  of  his  sports,  he  had 
never  yet  been  present  on  any  public  occasion,  or 
been  in  evidence  as  one  of  his  personal  friends.  To 
be  sure,  there  had  been  that  one  great  day  when  the 
King  reviewed  the  boy  troops,  but  then  he  was  but 
one  of  many.  This  was  a  different  thing. 

"You  say  nothing,"  said  the  Princess  Anne,  after  a 
long  pause.  "  I  thought  this  would  please  you  greatly." 

Dorothy  started  as  from  a  brown  study.  "  Please 
me,  my  Lady  Anne !  But  what  can  I  say  ?  I  have 
forgotten  the  ways  of  courts  in  all  these  long  years. 
Yet  I  do  not  need  to  be  told  that  this  is  a  great 
honor." 

The  princess  laughed.  "  But  for  all  that,  there's 
many  a  one  would  be  more  wrought  up  by  it.  You 
take  all  things  coolly,  nurse.  Now  listen  !  Glos- 
ter  is  to  have  eight  young  attendants  of  his  very 
own  ;  four  of  the  elder  lads,  and  four  of  the  younger. 
Robin  is  to  be  one  of  these  last,  for  so  my  son 
wishes,  and  I  see  no  reason  why  he  should  not  be 
allowed  to  have  his  own  way  about  it.  My  Lady 
Marlborough  has  had  the  appointing  of  seven,  and 
surely  Gloster  may  have  the  naming  of  one  and  not 
be  gainsaid  —  eh,  Mistress  Hill  ? " 


122  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

For  already  there  was  the  little  rift  within  the 
lute,  and  the  placid  nature  of  Anne  was  beginning 
to  rebel  at  the  overbearing,  dictatorial  attitude  of  her 
lifelong  favorite. 

"  Methinks,  as  your  Royal  Highness  permits  young 
Churchill  to  be  one  of  the  duke's  attendants,  my  fair 
cousin  hath  no  cause  of  complaint,"  said  Mistress 
Hill,  screwing  up  her  embroidery-frame.  "  But,  as 
we  all  know  right  well,  her  ladyship  is  hard  to  please. 
She  saith  —  " 

Breaking  off  suddenly,  as  if  dismayed  at  her  own 
audacity,  she  toyed  with  her  silks  for  a  moment. 
Then,  pursing  her  lips,  she  added,  meekly,  "  But  I 
have  no  right  to  meddle  with  these  matters." 

"  Aye,  —  but  what  said  she  ?  This  is  my  affair, 
not  hers.  What  said  my  Lady  Marlborough  ?  I 
bid  you  speak." 

"  It  is  not  I  who  should  tell  it,  seeing  she  is  my 
own  kin,  but  heaven  knows  I  must  speak  if  your 
Grace  bids  me !  She  says  she  is  not  sure  she  will 
permit  her  son,  my  young  Lord  Churchill,  to  attend 
the  duke ;  that  'tis  no  such  mighty  honor,  as  things 
are  going." 

"  Is  that  the  way  the  wind  blows  ? "  said  the  prin 
cess,  with  a  light  laugh.  "Nathless,  I  know  my 
Lady  Marlborough  right  well.  Whoever  else  may 
or  may  not  march  in  the  procession  as  one  of  the 
duke's  attendants,  be  you  sure  young  Churchill  will 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  12$ 

be  there !  His  mother  would  not  miss  it  for  a  new 
coronet.  But  now  about  Robin.  He  must  have  fit 
ting  apparel.  Send  him  to  Mistress  Hill's  chamber 
at  noon  on  the  morrow,  Dorothy,  and  she  will  see 
that  he  is  properly  fitted  out." 

"  Indeed,  thou  art  most  generous  and  thoughtful, 
my  Lady  Anne,"  Dame  Dorothy  answered,  after  a 
moment,  rising  as  she  spoke.  "  But,  truly,  there  is 
no  need  of  this.  I  have  means  enow  to  procure  for 
the  lad  whatever  is  needful,  if  I  may  but  know  what 
your  Grace  wishes.  A  bit  of  camlet  for  a  jerkin, 
and  mayhap  an  ell  or  so  of  velvet,  —  surely  I  can 
compass  that  much  for  the  nonce,  and  not  pinch  my 
self,  either." 

"  Nay,  but  he  must  have  a  full  page's  suit  of  fine 
white  camlet,  slashed,  and  a  short  cloak  of  scarlet 
velvet,  and  —  let  me  see  !  What  else  ?  Oh  !  —  a 
broad  hat  of  French  felt,  well  cocked  and  looped 
with  silver.  What  say'st  thou  to  a  periwig,  nurse  ? " 
she  added,  with  a  laughing  glance  at  Dorothy's  grave 
face.  "  Dost  thou  think  he  will  need  one  ? " 

"Verily,  no,  I  do  not!"  she  answered,  hastily. 
"  The  good  God  hath  given  the  child  such  a  periwig 
as  no  barber  ever  made.  Beseech  your  Grace  to  let 
it  alone,  nor  meddle  with  his  work ! " 

"  Very  well,  if  you  say  so,  —  I  doubt,  myself,  if 
Monsieur  Davillier  could  furnish  him  a  better  set  of 
curls.  Nurse  Dorothy,  if  thou  must  have  a  finger  in 


124  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

this  pie,  thou  shalt  make  him  a  shirt  of  good  Hol 
land,  with  fine  plaited  ruffles,  a  little  open  at  the 
throat,  —  thus,  —  and  a  pair  of  clocked  hosen.  But 
as  for  the  rest,  —  send  him  hither,  as  I  said,  and  he 
shall  be  fitted  at  my  cost,  by  the  court  tailor,  that 
he  may  flaunt  his  fine  feathers  with  the  best  of  them. 
See  to  it,  Mistress  Hill." 

"Aye,  your  Highness,"  said  the  woman,  whose 
name  has  descended  to  a  race  of  Abigails,  "and  I 
shall  do  your  Highness's  bidding  all  the  more  gladly 
that  it  is  a  pretty  lad  and  a  civil,  God  bless  him  ! 
He  hath  always  a  little  bow  and  a  smile  for  me  when 
I  chance  to  meet  him  in  court  or  corridor.  The 
tailor  shall  do  well,  if  I  have  aught  to  say  about  it." 

"  No  doubt,  no  doubt,"  interrupted  the  princess. 
"  Now  fare  thee  well  for  a  week,  Nurse  Dorothy,  and 
be  sure  thou  dost  have  the  shirt  and  hosen  ready  in 
due  season." 

Dorothy  was  just  disappearing  when  the  princess 
called  her  back. 

"  Wait  a  moment,"  she  said.  "  You  will  want  to 
see  the  procession,  surely,  if  Robin  is  to  be  in  it. 
Stay,  —  I  have  it !  Can  you  climb  two  or  three 
flights  of  crooked  stairs,  think  you  ?  Then  go  you 
to  the  third  story  of  the  great  tower,  and  tell  the 
keeper  it  is  my  will  that  he  give  you  a  seat  in  a 
window  overlooking  both  courts." 

Windsor  was  early  astir  when  the  great  day  came. 


IN  KINGS1   HOUSES.  1 25 

The  summer  morning  dawned  gloriously,  with  just 
enough  of  the  soft  English  haze  to  temper  the  glow 
ing  sunshine,  and  add  new  beauty  to  whatever  it 
enfolded.  A  light  breeze  stirred  the  treetops,  and 
in  it  a  thousand  flags  were  flying.  They  floated 
from  every  housetop,  and  from  half  the  windows  of 
the  village,  while  the  castle  itself  was  alive  with 
them,  glowing  masses  of  color  streaming  from  every 
turret,  tower,  and  pinnacle.  The  whole  place  was 
swept  and  garnished,  but  the  decorators  were  still  at 
work,  giving  the  last  touches  to  wreaths  and  gar 
lands,  the  hanging  of  rich  tapestries,  and  the  em 
blazoning  of  heraldic  devices  on  arch  and  doorway, 
wall  and  entablature. 

If  the  small  duke  in  whose  honor  all  this  splendor 
was  evolved  had,  as  he  said,  a  liking  for  pomps  and 
vanities,  it  must  surely  have  been  gratified  that  day. 
All  the  noble  Knights  of  the  Garter  were  there,  each 
with  his  splendid  retinue  of  esquires  and  pages,  one 
vying  with  another  in  the  magnificence  of  his  ap 
pointments.  Plumes  waved,  jewels  gleamed,  and  ban 
ners  bearing  proudly  the  escutcheons  and  armorial 
devices  of  the  noblest  names  in  England  were  borne 
aloft  in  glittering  array.  Trumpets  sounded,  bugles 
called,  and  silver  flutes  and  hautboys  filled  the  air 
with  their  melodious  murmurs.  St.  George's 
Chapel,  beautiful  and  impressive  always,  was  mag 
nificent  beyond  description  when,  in  festive  array, 


126  IN  KINGS1  HOUSES. 

it  was  made  ready  to  receive  its  throng  of  stately 
guests. 

Should  one  rather  say  its  throng  of  worshippers  ? 
Nay,  —  for  though  there  were  prayers  and  the  rolling 
thunders  of  the  organ,  sublime  ritual  and  the  pomp 
of  lofty  ceremonial  observance,  yet  it  was  all  to 
enhance  a  splendid  pageant,  rather  than  for  any 
purpose  of  religious  worship. 

The  knights  were  seated  in  their  carven  stalls, 
with  their  gorgeous  banners  drooping  over  them, 
outwardly  decorous,  yet  inwardly  a  trifle  amused  by 
the  thought  of  Gloster's  youth,  and  somewhat  in 
clined  to  wonder  as  to  how  he  might  carry  himself 
under  his  new  honors. 

"They  be  rather  weighty  for  such  young  shoul 
ders,"  said  his  Grace  the  Earl  of  Dorset,  to  his 
neighbor,  the  Duke  of  Northumberland.  "  Nath- 
less,  my  lord  bishop  saith  he  is  wondrous  wise  for 
his  years,  and  hath  great  understanding." 

"  Surely,  surely,"  answered  Northumberland,  with 
a  shrug*  of  the  shoulders,  and  a  shrewd  smile. 
"  Hath  not  my  lord  bishop  the  honor  of  being 
his  preceptor  ?  But  hark !  I  hear  the  trumpets. 
Now  must  we  to  the  door  to  receive  him." 

For  Gloster's  own  father,  —  Prince  George  of 
Denmark,  —  with  the  Dukes  of  Norfolk,  North 
umberland,  Southampton,  Shrewsbury,  and  Devon 
shire,  and  the  Earls  of  Dorset  and  Rochester,  were 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES.  I2/ 

to  be  his  knights  companions  that  day.  Four  of 
them  attended  him  from  his  apartments  in  the 
castle  to  the  door  of  the  chapel.  There  the  other 
four  received  him,  and  joined  the  procession  in  its 
slow  progress  up  the  nave. 

What  wonder  that  the  hum  of  voices  ceased  at 
the  sound  of  the  trumpets,  and  every  eye  in  that 
assemblage  of  England's  best  and  greatest  turned 
expectantly  towards  the  west  ?  First  came  the 
heralds,  two  by  two,  in  cloth  of  gold ;  then  an 
escort  of  the  Queen's  guards,  followed  by  sundry 
high  dignitaries  of  Church  and  State ;  then  the  eight 
knights  companions  ;  and  then  — -  the  cynosure  of 
all  eyes  —  the  duke  himself,  walking  alone,  and 
a  little  in  advance  of  his  eight  young  attendants, 
who  were  resplendent  in  scarlet  and  white.  At  the 
choir  gates  the  uninitiated  withdrew,  and  awaited 
without  the  reappearance  of  the  duke  and  the  gar 
ter  knights. 

Gloster  himself  wore  a  suit  of  white  velvet  embroid 
ered  with  seed-pearls,  and  literally  blazing  with  jew 
els,  —  even  the  buttons  being  great  brilliants.  Anne 
cared  little  for  sparkling  baubles,  and  seldom  wore 
them,  but  on  this  occasion  she  lavished  them  unspar 
ingly  on  the  costume  of  her  son.  From  his  shoulder 
hung  a  cloak  of  azure  blue  velvet,  the  color  of  the 
order,  richly  wrought  with  gold ;  and  around  his  neck 
he  wore  the  magnificent  collar  and  jewel  of  St.  George 


128  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

and  the  Dragon,  that  was  the  personal  gift  of  his 
Majesty,  the  King. 

We  may  not  follow  him  within  the  choir,  where  he 
was  duly  installed  in  knightly  state.  But  we  have 
the  word  of  an  eye-witness  that  he  bore  himself  with 
such  grave  dignity,  that  his  blue  eyes  took  in  the 
unwonted  scene  with  so  much  quiet  assurance,  and 
such  keen  appreciation  of  its  meaning  and  its  beauty, 
that  he  received  the  highest  praise  from  all  present. 
The  Marquis  of  Normandy  bore  instant  word  to  his 
mother  that  "  the  young  duke  could  not  have  carried 
himself  better  if  he  had  been  four  times  as  old." 

Yet  little  did  the  spectators,  little  did  the  knights 
companions,  little  did  any,  save  Robin,  know  what 
grave  and  unworldly  thoughts  were  his  in  that  splen 
did  hour.  Little  did  they  dream  that  he  was  think 
ing,  behind  that  boyish  brow  of  his,  less  of  the  scene 
around  him,  with  all  its  brilliant  show,  and  stately 
pageantry,  than  of  some  lonely  vigil  of  arms  wherein 
the  bravest  neophyte  of  all  might  gain  new  strength 
to  keep  the  faith.  Little  did  they  think  that,  while 
he  rejoiced,  as  a  boy  might,  that  "  one  of  his  dreams 
had  come  true,"  he  was  yet  looking  soberly  into  the 
future,  and,  with  a  chastened  spirit,  foreseeing  a 
shadow  there.  Was  it,  indeed,  the  shadow  feared 
of  man  ? 

Then  came  the  marshalling  of  the  procession 
again,  and  the  stately  march  to  St.  George's  Hall, 


IN  KINGS1  HOUSES.  1 29 

where  tables  were  spread  for  the  grand  banquet.  If 
the  procession  to  the  chapel  was  imposing,  this  was 
doubly  so,  for  to  it  was  now  added  the  magnificent 
array  of  garter  knights,  before  each  of  whom  was 
borne  his  banner,  resplendent  with  all  the  heraldic 
colors.  Many  of  them  were  just  from  fields  of 
battle  and  conquest,  —  seamed  and  scarred  veterans, 
their  brows  newly  crowned  with  the  garlands  of  vic 
tory.  Some  there  were  who  had  not  yet  received, 
and  perhaps  never  would  receive,  the  much  coveted 
garter.  But  they  wore  their  fresh  laurels  proudly, 
and  the  populace  made  themselves  hoarse  with  their 
cries  of,  "A  Marlborough  !  A  Marlborough  ! "  "A 
Villiers  !  A  Villiers  !  "  "A  Mohun  !  A  Mohun  ! " 
alternating  with  their  shouts  for  Gloster  and  St. 
George. 

Every  balcony  swarmed,  every  window  was 
thronged.  On  every  inch  of  vantage-ground, 
every  handsbreadth  of  space,  human  beings  crushed 
and  crowded.  High  up  in  her  tower,  Dame  Doro 
thy  watched  the  mel^e  below,  and  congratulated 
herself  that  she  was  out  of  it.  It  seemed  to  her 
afterwards  that,  of  all  the  glorious  show,  she  saw 
but  one  thing,  —  the  slight  figure  of  Robin  in  his 
unwonted  bravery  of  apparel,  and  the  rapt  and  radiant 
eyes  with  which  he  watched  every  movement  of  Glos 
ter.  To  all  appearance,  he  was  utterly  unconscious 
of  himself,  lost  in  the  occasion  and  its  meaning. 


130  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

More  than  one  eye  was  bent  upon  him  curiously, 
for  it  was  well  known  to  all  about  the  castle  that 
this  was,  so  to  speak,  his  first  appearance,  his  de"but. 

"Bon  Dieu!"  cried  a  young  gallant,  just  a  little 
too  old  to  have  been  chosen  one  of  the  duke's  attend 
ants,  and  consequently  removed  from  the  danger  of 
jealousy.  Having  lately  returned  from  France,  he 
was  fain  to  adorn  his  speech  with  fine  French  oaths. 
"Bon  Dieu!  do  but  look  at  the  lad!  'Tis  an  old 
saying  that  fine  feathers  make  fine  birds,  but  truly 
he  wears  his  as  if  they  grew  on  his  own  back.  He 
thinks  of  them  no  more  than  the  mavis  of  its  red 
wing." 

It  was  true.  Neither  overbold,  nor  overshy,  he 
had  the  grace  born  of  utter  forgetfulness  of  self,  and 
entire  absorption  in  the  thought  of  another.  What 
did  it  matter  that  he,  who  had  worn  cloth  of  frieze, 
to-day  wore  cloth  of  gold  ?  His  princess  had  ordered 
it,  —  to  do  honor  to  Gloster.  It  was  not  his  affair  ; 
he  had  only  to  wear  it  as  he  was  bidden.  Neither 
was  it  for  his  own  glory  that  he  had  a  place  in  the 
procession  assigned  him.  Gloster  had  so  willed  it, 
for  his  own  pleasure. 

Mistress  Hill  had  joined  Dorothy  in  the  tower 
window.  It  was  very  narrow,  so  narrow  that  it  had 
quite  escaped  notice  and  consequent  capture,  yet  it 
was  so  placed  that  it  commanded  the  whole  distance 
from  the  chapel  to  the  hall. 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  131 

"  We  are  lucky  to  be  up  here,"  said  she,  settling 
herself  contentedly  on  a  high  stool.  "  My  faith ! 
how  they  crowd  and  jostle  each  other  down  there  ! 
See  now,  Dame  Dorothy  !  Here  comes  the  proces 
sion  of  her  Royal  Highness.  Body  o'  me,  but  'tis  a 
splendid  sight !  Look !  look !  for  here  comes  the 
princess  herself !  That  blue  brocade  she  hath  on 
came  from  the  tailor's  but  last  week.  See !  it  hath 
a  tremendous  full  skirt,  well  in  the  fashion,  and  a 
long,  pointed  body  that  becomes  her  rarely.  It  is 
fastened  down  the  front  with  double  clasps  of  rubies. 
Dost  mark  the  strings  of  great  pearls  looped  for 
shoulder  knots  ?  I  fastened  them  with  mine  own 
hands,  and  it  was  well  done,  if  I  do  say  it.  Her 
Highness  cares  not  much  for  finery  of  that  sort,  but 
I  besought  her  to  remember  it  was  all  for  the  duke's 
honor,  and  to  put  on  of  her  best." 

"  Her  Grace  looks  well,"  Dorothy  remarked, 
quietly.  "  I  have  dressed  her  myself  before  now." 

"  Ha !  —  and  now  comes  my  Lady  Marlborough, 
fine  as  a  fiddle,  and  proud  as  a  peacock,  dressed 
from  top  to  toe  in  rose  colored  velvet,  with  rare  lace 
of  Flanders,  and  a  diamond  necklace.  It  is  well  my 
lord  hath  a  good  income  these  days.  Be  it  fair  or 
foul,  he  needs  it !  " 

"  Her  ladyship  hath  splendid  hair  and  complexion, 
and  a  fine  figure  of  her  own,"  quoth  her  companion. 
"It  is  said  the  princess  doth  love  her  dearly." 


132  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

"  Aye,  —  aye  !  Every  cat  hath  its  day.  She  is  a 
cousin  of  mine  own,  and  I  knew  her  well  long  before 
she  was  my  lady.  The  airs  of  her,  —  to  threat  she 
would  not  allow  young  Churchill  to  walk  in  the  pro 
cession,  forsooth !  But  the  princess  getteth  to  know 
her  fairly  well.  He  was  there  all  the  same,  —  didst 
thou  not  see  ?  But  there  goes  a  sweet  lady,  —  she 
in  silver  brocade,  with  a  gray  overmantle,  and  a  long, 
flowing  veil.  It  is  the  Viscountess  of  Armandale. 
Is  she  not  lovely  ? " 

And  thus  she  went  on  as  the  slow  procession 
passed  beneath  the  window. 

"Is  the  little  lady,  Anne  Gascoyne,  she  that  is 
goddaughter  to  her  Highness,  within  sight  ? "  asked 
Dorothy. 

"  Nay ;  I  do  not  see  her.  Mayhap  the  princess 
thinks  her  too  young  for  such —  Ah  !  but  there  she 
is,  just  turning  the  corner.  Dost  thou  not  see  ? 
Bend  but  a  little  farther  forward.  'Tis  the  little 
maid  in  a  white  taffeta  gown,  and  wrought  muslin 
cloak  of  fine  needlework.  See !  she  hath  silver 
ribbons  in  her  hair,  and  carrieth  a  little  fan." 

"  I  see  her,"  said  Dame  Dorothy,  leaning  forward 
and  following  her  with  her  eyes.  "  She  seemeth  a 
sweet  little  maiden." 

"  Seeing  there  are  none  here  but  just  we  twain," 
she  went  on,  peering  down  from  her  high  niche,  "  I 
would  I  had  made  bold  to  bring  my  good  lass,  Betty 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  133 

Macthorne,  with  me.  But  I  was  afeard  she  might 
be  in  the  way,  and  when  we  passed  the  great  gate,  I 
bade  her  shift  for  herself." 

"  Never  you  mind,"  remarked  her  companion. 
"  Betty  is  a  sprightly  lass,  and  a  comely.  Some 
young  gallant  has  her  in  tow,  no  doubt,  which  will 
please  her  better  than  being  up  here  with  two  old 
women." 

If  Dame  Dorothy  could  have  looked  directly  be 
neath  her  window  just  then,  she  would  have  seen 
Betty  Macthorne  perched  on  a  narrow  ledge  of 
masonry,  with  one  foot  on  a  projecting  stone.  And 
had  her  ears  been  keen  enough,  she  might  have  heard 
Mat  Hansel's  voice. 

"  Put  thy  hand  on  my  shoulder,  lass.  It  will  make 
thee  feel  less  shaky,  and  keep  thee  from  falling,  — 
though,  to  be  sure,  I  should  catch  thee  if  thou  wert 
to  fall,  and  it  would  be  small  matter." 

"  Nay,"  said  Betty,  "  there's  no  need.  I  am  not 
wont  to  fall.  This  ledge  is  broad  enow,  and  if  it 
were  not,  I  have  a  steady  head,  Master  Hansel." 

Mat  shrugged  the  rejected  shoulder.  "  Good  faith, 
so  thou  hast,  as  I  know  to  my  cost !  Betty,  thou 
art  prickly  as  a  chestnut  burr.  Wilt  thou  never  let 
me  know  if  there  be  a  sweet  kernel  within  ? " 

"  It  takes  sharp  frosts  to  open  the  chestnut  burrs," 
she  said,  laughing  merrily,  "  and  this  is  but  midsum 
mer.  If  thou  shouldst  tear  them  open  now,  thou 


134  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

wouldst  find  the  nuts  green  and  bitter  enow,  take 
my  word  for  it,"  and  she  settled  herself  more  firmly 
on  her  narrow  seat. 

"Then  I  will  wait  till  the  frosts  come,"  he  an 
swered,  with  a  gruff  tenderness  that  brought  the 
swift  color  to  her  cheeks,  "though  methinks  thou 
didst  flout  me  once  for  being  too  old  already.  But 
tell  me  one  thing,  lass.  Thou  hast  no  other  sweet 
heart?" 

"  No  other  ?  I  have  none  at  all.  What  have  I  to 
do  with  sweethearts  ?  I  am  in  no  haste  to  wed. 
Leave  me  alone,  Mat  Hansel !  Yet  be  not  wroth 
with  me,  either,  for  truly  it  was  good  of  thee  to  put 
me  up  here  where  I  could  see  the  grand  procession, 
and  our  Master  Robin  in  it !  But  let  me  down  now, 
and  I  will  wait  by  the  gate  for  my  mistress.  She 
will  be  going,  presently." 

With  a  quick  spring,  she  was  on  her  feet,  eluding 
the  arms  outstretched  to  receive  her,  but  letting  her 
hand  rest  in  Mat's  for  an  instant,  with  a  glance  that 
went  far  to  repay  him  for  all  her  flouting. 

The  long  pageant  was  over  at  last,  and  quiet 
settled  down  on  moonlit  Windsor. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

UNINTENTIONALLY,  no  doubt,  on  the  part  of  his 
instructors,  —  for  it  is  well  known  that  both  his 
Majesty,  the  reigning  sovereign,  and  Prince  George, 
desired  above  all  things  that  the  heir  to  the  throne 
should  be  bold,  bluff,  and  warlike,  —  Gloster's  whole 
training  had  been  such  as  to  intensify  and  strengthen 
one  side  of  his  nature :  the  side  that  was  thrown 
into  a  mood  of  exaltation  by  the  unchildlike  experi 
ences  through  which  he  had  passed.  When  he  was 
only  four  or  five  years  old,  a  Knight  of  the  Garter 
seemed  to  him  to  have  reached  the  supreme  height  of 
earthly  glory.  His  very  playground  —  St.  George's 
Hall  —  was  dignified,  one  might  almost  say  sancti 
fied,  by  majestic,  shadowy  presences  that  swayed  his 
heart  and  his  imagination.  The  vigil  of  arms,  with 
all  its  deep,  poetic  meaning,  was  something  as  real 
and  vivid  to  him  as  a  boat  race,  or  a  cricket  match, 
to  the  lads  of  to-day. 

History,  for  the  most  part,  grandly  ignores  the 
small  figure  that  for  so  brief  a  moment  flitted  across 
the  stage,  holding  the  eyes  and  hearts  of  the  English 
nation.  But  Bishop  Burnet  tells  us  he  was  mature 


136  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

and  thoughtful  beyond  his  years ;  and  the  Welsh 
usher,  who  was  almost  his  sole  chronicler,  gives  the 
same  impression  in  even  stronger  terms. 

Yet,  he  was  singularly  reticent.  It  was  only  to 
Robin  —  and,  perhaps,  in  a  much  slighter  degree  to 
Anne  Gascoyne  —  that  this  phase  of  his  being  ever 
betrayed  itself. 

Let  it  not  be  imagined,  however,  that  because  of 
these  graver  thoughts  and  emotions,  Gloster  had  put 
away  childish  things,  or  that  the  thought  of  death 
was  ever  present.  Often  he  forgot  it  for  weeks 
together,  and  looked  forward  to  a  long  and  brilliant 
life.  He  was  still  a  boy,  with  boyish  loves  and  lik 
ings.  Still  the  drills  went  on  in  St.  George's  Hall, 
the  sham  battles,  the  mimic  warfare,  with  all  its  fire 
and  fury.  For  all  this  seeming  play  was  but  a  part 
of  Gloster's  education.  Warfare  was  the  chief  busi 
ness  of  kings  in  those  days ;  and  St.  George's  Hall 
was  the  training-school  of  the  young  commander  and 
his  men-at-arms. 

As  the  summer  days  went  on,  and  the  crisp 
autumnal  weather  brought  in  the  pomp  and  splen 
dor  of  the  dying  year,  Robin  almost  forgot  that 
he  had  ever  heard  Gloster's  confession  of  weakness 
and  weariness.  The  duke  seemed  to  him  as  well  as 
ever,  as  ready  for  work  or  play,  as  deeply  interested 
in  all  that  related  to  the  life  of  the  castle.  Wherever 
there  was  most  going  on,  there  was  he,  eager,  alert, 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  137 

always  well  to  the  front,  and  ever  in  the  heart  of 
things. 

Since  the  events  narrated  in  the  last  chapter,  there 
had  been  a  distinct,  though  perhaps  undefined  change 
in  Robin's  position.  Until  then,  Dame  Dorothy  had 
scrupulously  avoided  taking  anything  whatever  for 
granted. 

No  gentlewoman  in  the  land  was  more  dainty  than 
she  in  all  the  essential  refinements  of  life,  —  its  sweet 
ness,  its  purity,  its  cleanliness.  But  Robin's  little 
jerkin  of  brown  frieze,  made  after  precisely  the  same 
fashion  of  that  he  wore  the  day  the  Princess  Anne 
first  summoned  him  to  the  castle,  had  never  been 
exchanged  for  anything  a  whit  finer,  or  more  costly. 
Possibly  she  may  have  been  a  trifle  more  lavish  in 
the  matter  of  shoes  and  hosen,  or  taken  a  shade 
more  pains  in  the  clear-starching  and  getting  up  of 
the  fine  linen  collars  in  which  she  took  just  pride, 
they  being  her  own  handiwork  from  carding  to  hem 
stitching.  But  that  was  all. 

Now,  however,  since  the  boy  had  appeared  in  the 
duke's  train  as  one  of  his  self-chosen  attendants, 
on  what  he  justly  accounted  the  proudest  day  of 
his  life,  something  more  seemed  due.  So  after  con 
sultation  with  Mistress  Hill,  and  not  a  little  of  her 
connivance  in  the  way  of  patterns  and  borderings, 
Dorothy  had  made  for  him  a  little  page's  suit  of 
dark,  rich  cloth,  handsome,  yet  plain  and  serviceable 


138  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

withal.  And  as  human  nature  was  much  the  same 
then  as  now,  it  must  be  confessed  this  new  departure 
not  only  added  greatly  to  Robin's  peace  of  mind  and 
body,  but  to  the  consideration  with  which  he  was 
treated  by  grooms  and  lackeys,  to  say  nothing  of 
their  betters. 

More  and  more,  as  the  days  went  by,  did  Windsor, 
lifting  its  imposing  front,  its  great  round  keep,  and 
its  battlemented  towers,  high  above  the  village  sleep 
ing  at  its  feet ;  Windsor,  with  its  many  fair  terraces 
and  gardens,  its  sheltered  pleasaunces,  its  parks,  and 
its  far-stretching  forest,  capture  the  hearts,  and  fire 
the  imaginations  of  the  two  boys ;  more  and  more 
did  its  historic  associations  appeal  to  them.  Aye,  and 
to  Anne  Gascoyne  as  well.  A  strong  tie  of  friend 
liness  and  good-fellowship  had  grown  up  between  the 
three  children ;  and  she  was  often  allowed  to  break 
away  from  the  thraldom  of  the  embroidery-frame,  and 
wander  far  afield  with  them  in  the  fair,  sunlit  lands 
of  fancy  and  romance  wherein  they  loved  to  stray. 

"  Little  Lady,"  Anne  was  called  by  both  the  boys. 

"Call  me  Anne,"  she  had  said  to  Robin,  on  the 
day  of  their  first  meeting.  But  a  certain  quaint, 
knightly  deference,  or  courtesy,  that  was  ingrained 
in  the  boy's  nature,  forbade  such  freedom,  and  he  had 
compromised  on  "  Little  Lady."  Whereat  Gloster 
had  laughed  at  first,  and  then,  seeing  its  exquisite 
fitness,  had  himself  adopted  it. 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  139 

There  was  many  an  old  servitor  about  the  place 
to  whose  magical  words  the  three  young  people  lis 
tened  spellbound.  But  perhaps  of  all  the  stories  and 
legends  that  had  been  handed  down  from  father  to 
son  through  many  generations,  —  chronicles  of  the 
older  time,  that  grew  richer  in  coloring,  and  more 
deeply  dyed  in  glamour  and  mystery  with  each  repe 
tition,  —  none  took  stronger  hold  of  them  than  that 
of  James  I.  of  Scotland,  and  his  long  captivity  of 
nineteen  years.  To  them  it  was  the  romance  of 
romances,  this  tale  of  the  strong  love  that  united 
the  captive  prince  to  brave  Prince  Hal  and  his  three 
brothers,  John  of  Bedford,  Thomas  of  Clarence,  and 
Humphrey  of  Gloucester.  They  roamed  with  the  lads 
through  the  sunlit  glades  of  Windsor  Forest  when, 
clad  in  suits  of  Lincoln  green,  they  twanged  their 
bowstrings,  and  sounded  their  silver  horns  right  mer 
rily.  They  hailed  James  as  knight  and  troubadour 
when  he  fell  in  love  with  fair  Joan  Beaufort ;  and 
fully  believed  that  the  madrigals  he  sang  in  her 
honor  were  as  musical  as  the  notes  of  Windsor 
nightingales. 

One  dark,  rainy  afternoon  in  early  spring,  —  the 
spring  after  that  July  day  when  Gloster  was  in 
stalled  as  Knight  of  the  Garter,  —  when  the  parks 
were  dripping,  and  the  terraces  impracticable,  he 
presented  himself  at  the  door  of  his  mother's 
chamber. 


I4O  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

"  How  now  ? "  said  the  princess,  with  a  welcoming 
smile.  "  Are  lessons  over  thus  early  ?  What  hath 
the  bishop  taught  you  this  morning  ? "  and  she  made 
room  for  him  to  sit  beside  her. 

Gloster  shook  his  head  ruefully. 

"  Oh  !  —  maps,  and  fortifications,  and  a  long  string 
of  Persian  kings.  I  like  learning  about  our  England 
better.  But  no  matter  about  that  now,  madam,  I 
am  tired  of  it  all !  May  we  have  Little  Lady  this 
morning  ? " 

"  '  We  ? '  -  -  who  are  « we  ? '  -  —  the  whole  army  ? " 

"  Nay,  madam,  —  only  Robin.  It  rains  so  hard  I 
bade  him  tarry  awhile  and  wait  for  fair  weather. 
We  are  going  to  tell  stories  in  the  little  library. 
Anne  is  good  at  story-telling.  May  she  come, 
madam  ? " 

The  princess  assented,  and  Anne  being  sum 
moned,  off  they  went,  hand  in  hand,  in  pursuit  of 
Robin,  who  was  waiting  without. 

The  little  library,  so-called,  was  a  small  room 
in  one  of  the  towers,  east  of  St.  George's  Hall,  and 
communicated  with  it  by  means  of  a  narrow  cor 
ridor  which  led,  also,  to  the  duke's  apartments. 
It  was  plainly  furnished,  but  bright  and  comfortable ; 
and,  being  seldom  frequented  by  the  older  inmates 
of  the  castle,  had  become  a  kind  of  neutral  ground,  so 
to  speak,  of  which  Robin  had  perfect  freedom  and 
where  he  felt  as  much  at  home  as  in  his  grand- 


GLOSTER,    ROBIN,    AND    LITTLE    LADY    IN    THE    LIBRARY. 


IN  KINGS1   HOUSES.  14! 

mother's  cottage.  It  was  in  fact  his  Windsor  home. 
Thither,  then,  they  went  —  the  three  of  them  —  for 
an  hour  of  story-telling. 

"Now  sit  you  here,  Little  Lady,"  said  Gloster, 
"  here  in  the  window,  and  we  will  sit  at  your  feet." 

She  shivered,  with  a  glance  at  the  dripping  panes, 
and  the  flood  of  rain  without. 

"Nay,"  she  answered,  "it  is  cold  up  there.  Let 
us  draw  the  settle  closer  to  the  chimney.  Robin 
shall  kindle  a  fire.  There  are  logs  enough,  and  a 
basket  of  pine-knots  that  will  make  a  fine  blaze." 

"And  here  be  flint  and  tinder,"  said  Robin,  with 
his  head  in  a  cupboard  where  he  was  rummaging. 
"  You  shall  have  your  blaze  in  a  trice,  Little  Lady." 

The  fire  was  speedily  leaping  and  sparkling  in 
the  broad  fireplace.  Meanwhile  Gloster's  head  and 
shoulders  were  in  the  big  cupboard. 

"  Ho !  "  he  cried,  "here  be  four  russet  apples,  and 
a  bag  of  chestnuts  that  must  have  been  left  over 
from  last  Hallowe'en !  We  will  roast  them  and 
have  a  feast  after  the  story-telling.  There  you  are, 
Little  Lady,  with  the  blaze  in  front  of  you  and  the 
settle  at  your  back.  On  with  your  story !  " 

"We  might  put  the  apples  down  to  roast,  mean 
while,"  said  Anne,  on  housewifely  cares  intent. 
"  But  not  too  near  —  there,  like  that  !  Push  the 
big  brand  further  back,  Robin,  and  bury  the  chest 
nuts  in  the  hot  ashes." 


142  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

But  when  they  had  arranged  the  apples  and  chest 
nuts  to  their  satisfaction,  a  new  thought  occurred  to 
Gloster. 

"  Let  us  have  a  play  !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  A  play 
— or  a  pantomime — of  Prince  Hal  and  King  James. 
I  will  be  the  prince,  and  you,  Robin,  shall  be  the 
king." 

Robin  was  silent. 

"  And  I  ? "  asked  Little  Lady,  tremulously.  This 
was  a  new  departure. 

"  You  ?  —  Let  me  see  !  Why,  you  will  be  Joan 
Beaufort,  of  course,  and  King  James  will  fall  in  love 
with  you,  and  watch  you  from  the  corridor,  with 
gloomy  eyes  and  his  arms  folded  thus,"  -  suiting 
the  action  to  the  word,  —  "  while  you  pace  back  and 
forth  in  the  pleasaunce.  Come,  Robin,  throw  this 
mantle  over  your  shoulder  thus,  like  the  picture  in 
the  old  chronicle,  —  the  one  with  the  mandolin,  —  do 
you  remember  ? " 

"  And  there's  the  mandolin  hanging  on  the  wall," 
cried  Little  Lady,  clasping  her  hands  softly  in  sud 
den,  self-forgetful  ecstasy,  "and  here's  a  ribbon  for 
your  neck.  Tis  only  black,  when  it  should  be  red 
or  blue,  but  'twill  serve  to  hold  the  mandolin." 

"The  black  is  more  fitting,  since  James  was  a 
prisoner,"  said  Robin,  gravely.  "  Gloster,  let  us 
change  parts.  Be  you  the  king,  if  we  must  play 
this  play,  and  let  me  be  Hal." 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  143 

"  Now  tell  me  why,  if  thou  canst  ? "  was  the  quick 
retort.  "  Nay,  —  let  me  have  my  way,  and  be  Hal 
of  England.  Come  now,  Anne.  You  are  the  beau 
tiful  Lady  Joan  —  " 

"  But,  —  what  must  I  do  ? "  she  interrupted,  with 
a  little  gasp. 

"  Do  ?  How  can  I  tell  you  ?  'Tis  easy  enough. 
You  have  only  to  be  beautiful  and  gracious,  as  a 
lovely  lady  should.  And  when  Robin  —  James,  I 
mean  —  makes  love  to  you,  you  must  answer  fit 
tingly.  That  is  all.  You  know  how." 

But  Anne  shook  her  head  in  dire  distress  and  per 
plexity,  and  Robin  perceived  that  her  tears  were  very 
near  the  surface. 

"  Only  the  good  God  can  make  one  beautiful,"  she 
said,  her  lip  trembling,  "  and  I  know  not  how  to  be 
'gracious,'  nor  in  what  words  to  answer  'fittingly.' 
I  like  not  this  play,  Gloster ! " 

"Nor  do  I,"  echoed  Robin,  coming  gallantly  to 
the  rescue.  "  No  lady  in  all  the  land  is  more  beauti 
ful  and  lovely  than  our  Little  Lady  here.  But  — 
but  —  " 

"Then  let  her  flout  you,  and  scorn  you,  if  she 
knows  not  how  to  be  gracious,"  said  Gloster.  "  I'll 
warrant  me  Lady  Joan  did  not  cry,  'Thanks,  my 
lord,'  and  make  a  low  curtsey  the  first  time  King 
James  tossed  her  a  flower.  Let  her  flout  you ! 
That's  easy  enough,  surely." 


144  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

"Nay,  but  that  would  be  harder  than  to  be 
gracious,"  cried  Anne,  fairly  in  tears  now,  to  the 
great  discomfiture  of  both  lads,  and  absolutely  refus 
ing  to  play  Joan  to  Robin's  James.  There  is  no 
telling  how  the  unwonted  dispute  might  have  ended 
had  not  a  messenger  from  the  princess  presented 
himself  at  that  moment,  with  a  demand  for  Gloster's 
immediate  presence  in  the  chamber  of  her  Royal 
Highness.  The  King  had  arrived  at  Windsor,  and 
must  be  received  with  all  due  observance. 

"And  the  apples  are  just  roasted  to  a  turn!" 
exclaimed  the  duke,  as  he  lingered  for  a  moment, 
gazing  at  the  bed  of  glowing  coals,  before  which  the 
red-brown  beauties  were  swelling  and  purring,  and 
exhaling  a  spicy  fragrance  as  of  summer  orchards. 
"  And  the  chestnuts  are  popping !  But  it  cannot  be 
helped.  I  must-  haste  to  mine  uncle.  Eat  them, 
you  two ;  and  then,  Robin,  go  you  up  to  the  Hall, 
if  you  will,  and  see  if  I  did  not  leave  my  lance  there 
yesterday." 

With  a  quick  nod,  he  was  out  of  sight,  only  to 
come  dashing  back  again  the  moment  after. 

"  If  you  find  the  lance,"  he  called  from  the  door 
way,  "just  bring  it  down  and  leave  it  here,  where  I 
can  get  it  to-morrow,"  and  away  he  flew  again. 

The  two  he  left  behind  him  lingered  but  a  moment 
or  two  over  the  apples  and  chestnuts. 

"  Now  you  must  find  the  lance,"  said  Anne,  "  for 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  145 

the  Hall  will  soon  be  dark,"  and  they  sped  up  the 
stairs  and  through  the  corridor  into  St.  George's 
Hall. 

One  side  of  the  lofty,  spacious  room  was  already 
in  deep  shadow,  but  the  other  was  bright  with  the 
rays  of  the  afternoon  sun.  For  the  rain  had  ceased, 
the  dripping  boughs  were  set  with  jewels,  the  birds 
were  singing  in  a  mad  ecstasy,  and  all  nature  was 
jubilant.  Robin  found  the  lance,  after  a  prolonged 
search,  safely  stowed  away  in  an  angle  of  the  carved 
oak  throne  at  the  east  end  of  the  hall.  He  busied 
himself  silently  for  a  few  moments,  polishing  it  on 
the  sleeve  of  his  jerkin,  after  the  manner  of  boys,  and 
then  turned  in  pursuit  of  Anne.  At  first  he  did  not 
see  her,  and  thought  she  had  left  the  room.  But 
presently  he  saw  her,  a  quaint  little  figure  in  a  black 
silk  hood  and  cape,  standing  far  down  the  hall  with 
the  sunlight  full  upon  her  upturned  face.  She  was 
gazing  at  the  full-length  portrait  of  James  II.,  which 
hung  there  then,  as  now. 

Robin  watched  her  silently,  vaguely  realizing  in  that 
boyish  heart  of  his  how  fair  and  sweet  and  true  she 
was,  yet  feeling,  too,  in  his  keen  sense  of  the  infinite 
distance  between  them,  that,  in  spite  of  the  gentle 
comradeship  permitted  him,  she  was  yet  as  far 
removed  from  him  as  any  star. 

But  presently  he  saw  that  tears  were  streaming 
down  her  face ;  and  before  he  could  reach  her  side 


146  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

in  a  quick  rush  of  questioning  sympathy,  she  had 
leaned  her  head  against  the  wall  beneath  the  picture, 
and  was  sobbing  under  her  breath. 

"  Dear  Little  Lady,"  he  cried,  half  beside  himself 
with  fear  and  sorrow,  and  laying  his  hand  upon  her 
shoulder  for  an  instant  with  a  pitying  touch,  "  what 
is  it  ?  What  has  happened  to  grieve  you  thus  ?  Tell 
me,  Little  Lady !  " 

"  Nothing  has  happened,"  she  answered,  looking 
at  him  through  her  tears,  and  struggling  for  com 
posure.  "  Nothing  new  has  happened.  Only  —  I 
was  thinking,  Robin !  There  are  so  many  things 
that  trouble  and  perplex  me.  Mayhap  if  I  were 
older  and  wiser  I  could  understand." 

"  But  what  is  it  ?  I  never  saw  you  thus  before. 
Why  do  you  weep,  if  nothing  has  happened  ? " 

"  Oh !  I  know  not  that  I  can  make  it  clear  to 
you,"  she  said,  with  a  long-drawn  breath.  "There 
is  so  much  one  cannot  understand.  The  princess  is 
always  kind  to  me.  She  would  fain  do  her  whole 
duty  by  her  godchild.  And  yet,  Robin,  yet,"  —  and 
the  small  maiden  sprang  up  with  eager,  flashing  eyes, 
to  gaze  again  at  the  portrait  of  King  James,  —  "  Robin, 
does  it  not  seem  hard  and  strange  that  my  father 
should  have  been  slain  for  loving  hers  ? " 

Robin  returned  her  tearful  gaze,  awestruck  and 
dumb.  This  was  all  new  to  him.  He  had  never 
heard  the  story  of  Little  Lady.  Gossip  of  one  sort 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

and  another  was  rife  about  the  court.  But  certain 
subjects  were  tabooed,  or,  at  least,  mentioned  only 
under  one's  breath.  He  drew  back,  and  studied  the 
picture  silently,  as  if  the  dumb  lips  could  solve  the 
mystery  if  they  would. 

"  It  does  indeed  seem  hard,"  he  said,  softly,  with 
his  eyes  on  the  canvas.  "  He  looks  like  a  king.  Do 
you  know,  Little  Lady,  I  never  really  saw  that  portrait 
until  this  minute  ?  It  is  strange,  is  it  not  ?  But  I 
have  never  been  in  this  hall  until  now,  except  in 
Gloster's  company,  and — " 

He  hesitated,  and  Anne  caught  up  the  word. 

"  And  in  his  presence  you  could  not  look  at  the 
picture  of  James  II.  I  know  that,  and  understand. 
If  you  had  looked  at  it  as  you  are  looking  now,  Glos- 
ter  might  have  asked  troublesome  questions.  Robin, 
do  you  think  he  knows  ? " 

"  As  to  that  I  cannot  answer,  Little  Lady.  I  only 
know  that,  before  I  was  admitted  to  the  castle,  I  was 
told,  both  by  the  princess  and  my  grandmother,  that 
I  was  never  to  speak  to  Gloster  of  his  grandfather, 
James  II.,  nor  of  the  little  prince,  his  uncle,  who  is 
but  a  few  months  older  than  he.  Of  course  I  have 
obeyed.  He  knows  the  early  history  of  England 
well,  and  I  have  often  heard  Bishop  Burnet  catechize 
him  thereon.  But  not  of  these  later  matters.  Yet 
he  is  wise,  and  methinks  he  knows  more  than  they 
would  have  him." 


148  IN  KINGS1   HOUSES. 

Anne  looked  soberly  and  thoughtfully  at  the 
semblance  of  the  exiled  king.  Her  tears  were 
dried,  though  their  traces  yet  remained. 

"  It  is  my  belief  that  he  knows  the  whole  story," 
she  said,  in  a  low  whisper,  as  if  fearing  that  the  very 
walls  had  ears.  "  Or,  at  least,  that  he  knows  all  that 
we  know.  How  could  they  think  to  keep  it  from 
him  ?  I,  too,  was  told  that  there  were  many  things 
of  which  I  was  never  to  speak  to  Gloster,  and  I  never 
have  spoken  of  them.  But  he  must  know,  Robin, 
he  must  know." 

"  His  very  silence  makes  me  sure  of  it,"  said 
Robin.  "  I  have  often  thought  about  it.  If  he  did 
not  know,  he  would  ask  questions,  as  he  does  about 
everything  else  that  is  not  clear  to  him." 

"  But  what  if  he  does  know  ? "  asked  Anne.  "  Does 
it  make  him  unhappy  ? " 

Robin  shook  his  head.  "Nay,  I  think  not.  He 
knows  no  king  but  King  William,  and  he  has  been 
taught  that  he  owes  him  allegiance.  He  has  a  loyal 
heart,  has  Gloster ;  and  he  believes  in  the  King  and 
in  her  Royal  Highness.  He  does  not  grieve,  whether 
he  understands  or  no." 

For  a  few  silent  minutes,  they  paced  back  and 
forth,  and  then  Robin  paused  beneath  one  of  the 
great  windows.  "  Sit  here,  dear  Little  Lady,"  he  said, 
taking  Anne's  hand  gently,  and  leading  her  to  a  low 
seat  that  ran  along  the  wall.  "  Sit  here,  and  tell  me 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  149 

about  yourself.  Who  was  your  father  ?  Was  he 
slain  in  battle?  'Tis  a  glorious  death." 

"  Nay,  not  in  battle,"  she  answered,  her  color 
coming  and  going,  and  her  lips  quivering.  "I  do 
not  remember  him  well.  I  was  but  a  little  child. 
But  he  was  slain  on  Tower  Hill,  where  so  many 
good  and  great  men  have  died  before  and  since." 

Robin  was  silent.  What  was  there  to  say  in 
response  to  such  a  statement  ?  Yet  he  must  give 
some  token  of  his  wordless  sympathy,  and  leaning 
forward,  he  lifted  the  black  ribbon  of  her  sash  as  it 
fluttered  near  him,  and  raised  it  to  his  lips. 

"  I  know  now  why  you  wear  no  gay  colors  like 
other  maidens,"  he  said. 

Anne  lifted  her  eyes  gratefully.  "  My  father  was 
Lord  Frederick  Gascoyne,"  she  went  on  after  awhile. 
"  You  have  heard  of  Lord  Preston,  and  of  young 
Mr.  Ashton  ?  It  was  soon  after  the  battle  of  the 
Boyne.  There  was  a  conspiracy,  so  it  was  charged, 
—  a  plan  for  the  restoration  of  King  James.  It  may 
have  been  true,  and  it  may  not.  How  should  I 
know  ?  But  they  were  beheaded,  all  of  them.  It  is 
a  hard  thing  to  think  of.  I  dream  of  it  in  the  night, 
and  cry  out  in  my  sleep." 

"And  a  harder  to  speak  of,  Little  Lady,"  cried 
Robin,  remorsefully.  "  I  did  but  think  your  noble 
father  died  in  battle,  —  not  that  he  —  " 

"  Was    murdered,"    said    Anne,    quietly,    for   her 


ISO  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

emotion  had  spent  itself.  "  But  we  will  not  talk  of 
it  any  more.  We  must  go  down  now.  The  sun  is 
getting  low." 

But  as  they  retraced  their  steps  to  the  little 
library,  with  the  lance,  Anne  went  on  with  her  story. 

"  My  mother  died  very  soon,"  she  said.  "  My 
father's  awful  death  killed  her.  The  Princess  Anne 
was  my  godmother,  as  you  know,  and  when  I  was 
left  desolate  she  did  not  forget  her  vow  to  watch 
over  me,  but  took  me  to  be  one  of  her  own  maidens. 
Truly,  Robin,  I  am  grateful  for  all  her  watchful  care. 
And  yet,  —  Robin,  Robin,  is  it  not  hard  and  strange 
that  my  father  should  have  died  for  loving  hers  too 
well  ? " 


CHAPTER   XII. 

ENGLAND  was  never  fairer  than  she  was  that 
summer.  It  may  have  been  with  a  different  beauty 
from  that  of  to-day,  for  two  centuries  have  done 
their  chiselling  work  since  then,  adding  many  a  fine 
touch  of  grace  and  exquisite  finish  to  what  must 
have  been  beautiful  always.  But  nature,  not  art, 
has  to  do  with  the  making  of  her  tender  blue-gray 
skies,  a  flush  with  the  glory  of  dawn,  or  sunset ;  with 
her  countless  wild  flowers  starring  every  field,  croft, 
and  roadside;  with  the  rich  luxuriance  and  riotous 
tangle  of  her  ivys,  trailing  and  climbing  here,  there, 
and  everywhere ;  with  her  stately  trees,  and  the  love 
liness  of  rose  and  fern  and  thorn  and  countless  forms 
of  forest  undergrowth ;  her  sleeping  lakes,  her  flash 
ing  streams,  and  over  all  the  wondrous  magic  of 
sunlight  and  shadow  on  her  green  hills  and  valleys. 
These  she  must  have  had  always,  —  and  perhaps  with 
a  stronger,  fresher,  and  more  vivid  beauty  than  now, 
even  before  the  Norman  Conqueror  first  cast  adoring 
eyes  upon  her,  and  seized  her  in  his  iron  clasp. 

Be  that  as  it  may,  she  was  very  fair  that  year. 
Strife  and  dissension  were  abroad  in  the  land.  The 


IN  KINGS'1    HOUSES. 

seeds  of  sectarian  and  political  bitterness,  sown  so 
long  ago,  and  watered  by  blood  and  tears,  were 
continually  springing  up  in  most  unexpected  places, 
and  could  only  be  kept  down  by  continual  care  and 
watchfulness.  Smouldering  fires  burned  in  Scot 
land,  and  on  all  the  Irish  coast,  ready  at  any 
moment  to  burst  into  flame.  The  Welsh  marches 
were  uneasy.  A  dream  of  peace  had  for  a  time 
bridged  over  the  chasm  of  war  with  her  hereditary 
enemy,  France ;  and  by  the  treaty  of  Ryswyk,  Le 
Grand  Monarque  had  acknowledged  William  III.  as 
King  of  England.  But  this  peace  was  no  mighty 
structure  of  stone,  against  which  wild  floods  might 
dash  and  tempests  beat,  leaving  it  still  unharmed. 
It  was  but  a  drawbridge  over  a  moat.  At  any  mo 
ment  it  might  be  raised,  the  portcullis  be  dropped, 
the  trumpets  sound,  and  war  begin  again. 

The  life  of  her  whom  Dame  Dorothy  loved  to  call 
my  Lady  Anne  Stuart,  cannot  have  been  altogether 
a  happy  one.  No  doubt  her  strong  Protestantism 
was  a  salve  to  her  conscience.  Yet  she  had  been  an 
undaughterly  daughter,  an  unsisterly  sister ;  and  she 
would  have  been  less  than  human  if  the  thought  of 
the  sad  exiles  at  St.  Germain  had  not  often  troubled 
her  in  the  night  watches.  If  we  admit  that  the 
dethronement  of  James  II.  was  legal,  we  admit  also 
that  Anne  was  her  sister  Mary's  lawful  successor. 
She  had  yielded  her  right  to  the  throne  to  Mary's 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  153 

husband,  and  he  had  slighted  and  scorned  her,  treat 
ing  her  often  with  less  consideration  than  he  bestowed 
on  his  own  lackeys. 

But  notwithstanding  all  the  jars  and  discord  from 
which  her  gentle,  submissive,  affectionate  nature 
shrank,  and  the  self-effacement  which,  learned  early 
and  practised  for  years,  must  yet  have  been  a  sore 
trial  to  the  proud  nature  of  a  Stuart,  the  year  of 
which  we  write  must  have  been  one  of  the  happiest 
she  ever  knew.  She  was  acknowledged  heir  to  the 
throne,  and  mother  of  the  heir  presumptive.  She  was 
treated  at  last  as  became  her  position  ;  for  William 
had  learned  beyond  a  peradventure  that  such  was 
the  will  of  the  English  nation.  If  there  were  in 
trigues  at  home  and  abroad,  there  was  peace  and 
quietness  in  her  own  little  domestic  circle.  Prince 
George  may  have  been  dull  and  humdrum,  but  he 
was  a  devoted  husband,  loyal  and  true  in  an  age  of 
disloyalty.  It  may  well  be  believed  that  Anne,  who 
was  by  no  means  a  brilliant  woman  herself,  was  far 
happier  with  him  than  she  would  have  been  with 
many  a  man  of  greater  calibre.  Her  son,  who  was 
her  idol,  seemed  to  be  outgrowing  the  frailty  and 
the  frequent  illnesses  of  his  early  childhood,  and  at 
last  she  was  beginning  to  look  forward  to  the  future 
without  fear  or  dread. 

But  out  of  a  clear  sky  there  fell  a  thunderbolt  into 
this  atmosphere  of  peace  and  calm.  Gloster's  birth- 


154  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

day  had  fallen  upon  a  hot  day  late  in  July.  It  had 
been  kept  with  all  the  usual  festivities.  There 
had  been  a  review  of  the  boy  troops,  the  fiercest 
of  mock  battles,  with  the  thunder  of  cannon,  the  roll 
of  drums,  and  the  fanfare  of  trumpets.  To  crown 
all,  there  was  a  grand  banquet  in  Gloster's  own 
presence-chamber,  whereat  he  presided  with  all  due 
ceremony,  the  victors  in  the  day's  sports  being 
graded  on  either  side  of  him,  in  the  due  order  of 
their  achievements. 

Robin  was  far  down  the  hall ;  for  though  he  had 
won  a  small  victory  with  the  long-bow  which  had 
made  him  the  possessor  of  a  silver  arrow,  —  a  pretty 
toy  at  which  he  took  frequent  happy  glances,  won 
dering  if  he  might  venture  to  lay  it,  in  knightly 
fashion,  at  the  feet  of  Little  Lady,  —  he  had  not 
achieved  the  highest  honors.  As  to  the  arrow,  he 
would  ask  Gloster's  advice  on  the  morrow,  being 
not  now  within  easy  speaking  distance.  So  he  con 
tented  himself  with  watching  his  friend,  as  he  sat  at 
the  head  of  the  table  dispensing  smiles  to  right  and 
left,  —  a  little  flushed,  perhaps,  with  the  heat  and 
excitement  of  the  day,  but  triumphant  and  happy, 
and  with  eyes  that  were  like  twin  stars. 

Suddenly  there  was  an  outcry,  followed  by  as  sud 
den  a  hush.  The  music  ceased  with  a  discordant 
clang  as  the  startled  musicians  lowered  their  instru 
ments  and  leaned  aghast  from  the  little  gallery,  and 


IN  KINGS1   HOUSES.  155 

the  attendants  rushed  forward  just  in  time  to  save 
Gloster  from  falling  headlong.  He  had  risen  from 
his  chair,  and,  raising  his  glass,  had  just  bidden  his 
guests  drink  to  the  King's  health,  when  the  slender 
crystal  fell  from  his  nerveless  fingers,  shattered  into 
a  thousand  fragments,  and  he  stood  swaying  to  and 
fro  irresolutely,  white  and  trembling. 

He  was  borne  quickly  to  an  inner  chamber  amid 
smothered  exclamations  of  fear  and  sorrow,  while  the 
boys  huddled  together  in  one  corner  of  the  room,  a 
silent,  awestruck  group,  until  young  Mr.  Boscawen, 
who  had  been  lately  promoted  and  was  now  one  of 
the  grooms  of  the  bedchamber,  appeared  with  an 
anxious  face,  told  them  the  duke  was  very  ill,  and 
bade  them  depart  with  all  silence  and  despatch. 

Robin  lingered  on  the  terrace  for  two  hours  under 
the  lighted  windows  of  the  chamber  where  Gloster 
lay,  hoping  for  further  tidings  ;  but  none  came,  and 
with  a  heavy  heart  he  went  home  through  the  moon 
lit  forest.  He  had  almost  forgotten  the  conversation 
of  so  many  months  ago,  when  Gloster  had  confided  to 
him  his  own  fears  and  anxieties  ;  or,  if  he  chanced  to 
remember  it,  he  had  believed,  without  any  attempt 
to  reason  it  out,  that  it  was  only  a  phase  of  the 
exalted,  uplifted  mood  into  which  Gloster  had  been 
thrown  by  the  circumstances  of  the  hour. 

But  now,  as  he  hurried  homeward  through  the 
long-drawn,  shadowy  aisles,  half  sick  and  faint  with 


1 56  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

the  burden  of  sudden  grief  and  terror,  it  all  came 
back  to  him,  and  he  wondered  if  his  friend  and  com 
rade  had  been  wiser  and  more  far-sighted  than  he 
thought. 

Dame  Dorothy  met  him  at  the  door  of  the  cottage. 

"Thou  art  late,  sweetheart,"  she  said,  drawing  him 
in.  "  Betty  Macthorne  has  been  abed  and  asleep  for 
full  two  hours  while  I  waited  up  for  thee.  It  is  not 
well  for  thee  to  be  out  so  long  past  midnight,  child. 
Young  eyes  —  but  what  ails  thee  ?  Hast  thou  seen 
a  ghost  that  thou  art  so  pale,  or  hast  thou  eaten  too 
many  sweets  ?  "  she  went  on,  hurriedly,  as  he  dropped 
wearily  on  the  settle,  and  leaned  his  head  on  its 
wooden  arm.  "  Art  thou  ill  ?  Child,  surely  thou 
hast  not  been  looking  too  deeply  into  the  wine-cup, 
after  all  my  teachings  ? " 

"  I  have  drank  nothing,  granny,"  he  answered, 
with  a  faint  smile.  "  Only  one  small  cup  of  sack, 
and  that  not  of  the  strongest.  Never  fear  but  that 
Master  Randee  looked  out  for  that.  But  we  have 
had  a  sore  fright,  I  can  tell  thee.  Gloster  was  car 
ried  to  his  chamber  in  a  dead  faint,  and  was  not  out 
of  it  when  I  left,  three  hours  after.  He  is  very  ill." 

Dorothy's  face  changed,  but  she  answered  lightly, 
her  hand  resting  tenderly  upon  Robin's  bowed  head, 
and  giving  it  a  little  shake  as  she  spoke. 

"  "Pis  a  pity  he  should  have  fainted  and  broken 
up  the  feast.  But  fret  not  about  it.  He  is  over- 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  157 

tired  with  all  the  merry-making,  and  I  make  no 
doubt  the  heat  went  to  his  head  ;  for  the  day  has 
been  so  hot  that  the  very  birds  hid  themselves  from 
the  sun.  But  go  you  to  your  bed  now,  Robin,  and 
to-morrow  morning  you  shall  run  up  to  the  castle 
right  early.  I'll  warrant  me,  you'll  find  the  duke 
—  God  bless  him  !  —  as  bright  as  a  new  sixpenny 
bit,  after  a  night's  rest." 

The  cottage,  notwithstanding  the  late  hours  it 
had  kept,  was  astir  early  next  morning;  and  after 
a  hurried  breakfast,  Robin  hastened  to  the  castle. 
Mat  Hansel  was  leaning  against  the  Norman  gate 
way  north  of  the  keep,  with  the  shadow  of  un 
wonted  disturbance  on  his  honest  face.  Robin 
looked  at  him  eagerly,  but  silently.  He  had  not 
the  heart  to  ask  a  question,  but  Mat  answered  to 
the  mute  appeal. 

"  No  better,  —  no  better,  my  young  master,"  he 
said.  "The  leeches  have  been  with  him  all  night, 
so  Master  Boscawen  tells  me,  quarrelling  as  to 
whether  they  should  bleed  him  or  no ;  and  now 
a  post  has  been  sent  for  Doctor  Radcliffe." 

"  Could  I  see  him,  do  you  think  ? "  asked  Robin. 
"  Or  would  they  but  let  me  stay  in  the  anteroom, 
where  possibly  I  could  do  some  service?" 

Mat  shook  his  head.  "That  I  cannot  say,  Mas 
ter  Robin.  But  here  come  Mistress  Randee  and 
Mistress  Hill  on  their  way  up  from  matins.  By  my 


158  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

troth,  women  are  always  pious  when  there's  trouble 
to  the  fore  ;  do  you  mind  that  ?  What  with  fasting 
and  praying  —  " 

But  here  the  near  approach  of  the  two  women 
brought  his  discourse  to  a  swift  close,  and  he  saluted 
them  with  an  air  queerly  compounded  of  deference 
and  good-comradeship. 

"  By  your  leave,  ladies,  but  young  Master  Robin 
here  was  asking  about  the  duke,"  he  said.  "  May 
hap  you  can  give  him  later  tidings  than  have  come 
to  my  ears." 

Mistress  Randee,  who  was  weeping,  passed  on 
her  way  through  the  upper  court,  unheeding  this 
appeal ;  but  Mistress  Hill  stopped,  throwing  up 
both  hands.  "  I  fear  me  he  is  worse,"  she  cried. 
"When  he  came  out  from  the  swoon  he  was  dis 
traught,  and  knew  none  of  those  about  him,  not 
even  his  mother.  He  babbles  of  this  and  that  in 
words  that  have  no  meaning,  and  whispers,  whispers, 
when  he  is  not  talking  wildly,  and  tossing  about 
in  the  burning  fever  that  consumes  him.  Ah,  may 
the  saints  help  him  !  " 

"  Do  you  think  they  would  let  me  be  near  him  ? 
I  would  be  very  still,  very  calm  and  quiet,"  said 
Robin,  in  proof  of  which  he  was  trembling  from 
head  to  foot. 

"  Come  with  me  to  my  chamber,"  answered  Mis 
tress  Hill,  "  and  I  will  see  what  can  be  done.  I  can 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  I  $9 

say  thou  hast  a  good  headpiece  of  thine  own,  and 
might  be  handy  to  run  of  errands.  But  I  fear  me 
for  our  little  duke,  child !  The  leeches  shake  their 
heads,  purse  their  lips,  look  wise,  and  say  nothing. 
Bishop  Burnet  hath  said  prayers  twice  already,  and 
my  Lord  Marlborough  hath  been  summoned." 

Three  or  four  days  dragged  on  wearily.  The 
castle  was  as  still  as  a  charnel-house.  Even  in 
the  quadrangles  the  servants  and  retainers  moved 
softly,  and  spake  under  "their  breath.  Robin  and 
Anne  Gascoyne  met  occasionally  in  corridor  and 
anteroom,  and  gravely  saluted  each  other  in  whis 
pers,  with  furtive  glances  at  the  closed  door  behind 
which  their  young  prince  was  fighting  a  losing  fight 
with  death. 

"  Let  the  lad  stay,"  the  princess  had  said,  when 
Mistress  Hill  made  her  little  plea  for  Robin.  "  Let 
him  keep  without  in  the  anteroom,  if  it  will  be  any 
comfort  to  him.  Surely  we  all  need  comfort,  and 
Gloster  loved  him,  —  nay,  loves  him,  —  poor  child." 

Already  she  found  herself  using  the  past  tense,  — 
this  poor  princess,  —  and  caught  her  words  up  for 
correction,  like  a  schoolgirl. 

So  he  watched  and  waited,  hearkening  with  ears 
sharpened  by  love  and  anxiety  to  the  incoherent 
murmurs  that  reached  him  now  and  then,  the  wan 
derings  of  a  mind  distraught.  Once  he  heard  his 
own  name  called  sharply,  "  Robin !  Robin ! "  and 


160  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

sprang  to  his  feet  in  quick  response,  only  to  sink 
down  again  in  blank  despair  when  the  return-tide 
of  recollection  swept  over  him.  Twice,  when  Gloster 
slept,  he  was  permitted  to  steal  into  the  room,  and, 
half  hidden  by  the  heavy  draperies  of  the  bed,  look 
down  upon  him.  Small  comfort  was  there  in  that, 
so  changed  was  he,  flushed  with  fever,  with  parched 
lips,  and  unfamiliar  lines  drawn  deeply  about  the 
mouth  and  eyes,  and  across  the  fair,  upturned  fore 
head.  Robin  drew  back  behind  the  arras  to  hide 
the  tears  that,  boylike,  he  was  ashamed  to  shed. 

But  he  was  of  service ;  that  was  one  consolation. 
No  feet  so  swift  as  his  to  do  the  bidding  of  the  nurses, 
to  carry  messages,  or  to  run  of  errands.  And  once 
the  princess  came  through  the  room,  and  seeing  him 
withdrawn  in  a  far  corner,  she  beckoned  him  to  come 
near,  spoke  to  him  tenderly,  and  letting  her  white 
hand  rest  for  an  instant  on  his  shoulder,  bade  him  be 
of  good  cheer.  He  could  have  knelt  and  worshipped 
her  then. 

It  was  the  afternoon  of  the  sixth  day,  when,  after 
a  quieter  sleep  than  usual,  Gloster  awoke  in  no  pain, 
and,  for  the  first  time  since  his  illness,  to  perfect 
consciousness.  Young  Boscawen,  who,  by  virtue 
of  his  office,  had  entrance  to  the  sick-room,  came 
forth  with  a  beaming  face. 

"  He  is  better,  he  is  better  ! "  he  cried,  in  a  whis 
per,  while  clapping  his  hands  noiselessly.  "  Robin, 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  l6l 

we  may  all  take  heart  of  hope  now.  His  Grace  knew 
me,  and  thanked  me  for  looping  back  the  curtain." 

But  the  older  ones  made  no  comments. 

Just  as  the  sun  was  dropping  behind  the  Eton 
elms,  and  all  the  gray  turrets  and  lovely  green  ter 
races  were  aflush  with  sunset  light,  Gloster  turned 
his  head  slightly,  and  looked  at  his  mother,  who  was 
holding  his  hand. 

"  Madam,"  he  said,  "  I  want  Robin.  Is  he  within 
call  ?  I  dreamed  he  was  here  last  night." 

In  a  moment  Robin  knelt  by  the  bedside,  raining 
tears  —  how  could  he  help  it,  poor  lad  ?  —  tears  and 
kisses  upon  the  wasted  hand  that  clasped  his  so 
feebly. 

"You  remember  what  I  told  you,  Robin?  My 
words  have  come  true,  just  as  my  dream  did," 
Gloster  said,  smiling  faintly.  "Mamma!" 

"Yes,  my  son." 

"  You  will  take  care  of  Robin  ?  He  is  my  last 
gift  to  you." 

"  Nay,  nay ! "  she  cried.  "  God  helping  me,  I 
will.  But  you  are  better,  Gloster.  Surely  you  are 
better,  and  you  shall  have  Robin  for  your  own 
squire  yet,  and  ride  off  to  the  wars  together." 

He  shook  his  head,  smiling  faintly.  "  Stay  you 
here,  Robin  ;  but  I  am  tired  now  and  would  fain 
sleep,"  he  said.  And  then  the  weak  voice  sank 
into  silence. 


1 62  IN  KINGS     HOUSES. 

Presently  he  roused  himself,  as  with  an  effort. 

"Did  you  win  the  silver  arrow,  Robin?    I  forget." 

"Yes,  I  won  it,  Gloster." 

"  That  is  well.  Is  —  Little  Lady  —  roasting  —  the 
chestnuts  ?  Tell  her  —  But  I  forget  what  I  would 
say.  Good  night,  Robin  ;  "  and  he  slept. 

At  midnight  the  great  bell  tolled  solemnly ;  and 
when  the  winds  of  early  dawn  sighed  through  the 
tree-tops,  every  flag  and  pennant  in  Windsor  and  in 
London  drooped  mournfully  at  half-mast,  and  all  the 
people  knew  that  he  whom  they  had  called  so  proudly 
the  hope  of  Protestant  England,  was  no  longer  a  child 
of  earth. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

WORN  out  with  grief  and  excitement,  Robin  slept 
late  that  morning.  The  tolling  bells  did  not  disturb 
him,  though  their  deep-toned,  solemn  voices  pealed 
forth  from  every  church  tower  and  steeple,  blending 
in  one  rich,  melodious  harmony,  till  all  the  fair  sunlit 
land  seemed  full  of  sweet,  sad  music.  Neither  did 
he  heed  the  sounds  of  ordinary  morning  life,  the  low 
ing  of  the  dun  cow,  the  singing  of  the  early  birds, 
the  rippling  of  the  little  brook  behind  the  paddock, 
or  the  nearer  clatter  of  pots  and  pans,  as  Betty 
Macthorne  spread  the  table,  and  made  ready  the 
breakfast. 

Once  or  twice  Dame  Dorothy  stole  softly  in  to 
look  at  him  as  he  lay  with  one  arm  thrown  over 
his  head,  his  dark  hair  clinging  closely  to  his  fore 
head  in  short,  crisp  curls,  and  his  brown  cheek 
flushed  with  sleep.  Once,  as  she  bent  over  him, 
he  smiled  as  if  in  a  happy  dream.  She  had  not 
the  heart  to  waken  him. 

But  in  that  age,  as  in  ours,  the  merciful  common 
places  of  life  entered  into  the  deepest  sanctuary  of 

163 


164  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

grief,  —  to  console  as  well  as  to  disturb.  Whoever 
dies,  be  he  king  or  peasant,  the  survivors  must  clothe 
themselves,  and  eat  and  drink,  and  attend  to  the 
petty  details  of  daily  living.  It  is  little  that  suns 
rise  and  set,  and  stars  wheel  on  in  their  courses. 
But  the  beds  must  be  made  ready,  and  the  tables 
laid,  and  the  food  prepared  and  eaten.  The  sowing 
and  the  reaping,  the  buying  and  the  selling,  the 
building  up  and  the  tearing  down,  all  must  go  on. 

So  the  sun  was  not  high  in  the  heavens  when 
Robin  came  out  of  his  chamber,  clothed  and  in  his 
right  mind  after  the  stupendous  event  of  yesterday, 
—  stupendous  to  his  thought,  and  (though  he  did 
not  think  of  this)  in  what  might  be  its  consequences 
to  him. 

His  grandmother  was  sitting  on  the  settle  outside 
the  door,  in  the  shadow  of  an  overhanging  vine. 
"'Tis  a  fair  morning,  child,"  she  said,  beckoning  him 
to  her  side.  "  Sun  never  shone  on  a  fairer.  Come 
sit  thee  down  here  in  the  sweet  fresh  air,  and  thou 
shalt  have  thy  breakfast.  I  ate  mine  an  hour  ago, 
but  thou  wert  sleeping  well,  and  I  would  not  waken 
thee.  Art  thou  hungry  ? " 

He  shook  his  head. 

"  Nay,  but  thou  must  eat,  dear  heart.  Here 
comes  Betty  with  thy  porridge,  which  is  rarely  good 
this  morning,  and  a  new-laid  egg,  and  the  end  of  the 
wheaten  loaf.  Mayhap  thou  wouldst  relish  a  bit  of 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES.  165 

the  veal  pasty  I  made  yesterday,  with  plenty  of 
parsley  and  marjoram?" 

And  thus  she  chattered  away  while  the  lad  tasted 
this  and  that  to  please  her,  but  ate  little.  Betty 
fluttered  in  and  out  anxiously,  and  at  last  brought, 
held  carefully  in  both  hands,  a  little  bowl  of  red 
glass  with  two  quaint  twisted  handles.  It  was  filled 
with  a  dark,  amber-colored  substance. 

"  'Tis  but  a  morsel  of  that  rare  conserve  that  was 
sent  thee  from  beyond  the  seas,  as  thou  didst  tell 
me,  mistress,"  she  said,  apologetically.  "  It  is  sweet, 
and  hath  a  flavor  of  wild  honey  with  a  dash  of  wine. 
Taste  it,  Master  Robin.  There's  a  chance  'twill  do 
thee  good." 

"  Nay,  Betty.  Put  it  by,  and  let  me  have  it  for 
supper.  But  now,  —  wilt  thou  go  with  me  to  the 
castle,  granny?" 

"Not  to-day,"  she  answered,  after  a  moment's 
hesitation.  "  Why  wilt  thou  go,  lad  ?  Thou  canst 
do  no  good,  and  it  will  only  vex  thee." 

But  Robin  persisted,  and  was  soon  slowly  making 
his  way  through  the  forest  in  the  direction  of  the 
great  gray  keep. 

The  sun  was  hot.  The  leaves  hung  motionless. 
There  was  an  oppressive  stillness  in  the  air,  —  a 
benumbing  quality,  so  he  fancied,  that  deadened  all 
emotion.  Some  strange  influence  emanated  from 
earth  and  tree  and  flower.  There  was  no  joyousness 


1 66  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

in  the  clear  blue  sky,  and  none  in  his  own  heart. 
Yet  he  thought  of  Gloster  without  a  conscious  pang 
or  a  tear.  All  things  seemed  unreal  and  phantasmal, 
and  he  felt  like  one  moving  in  a  dream. 

Slowly  he  wandered  up  Castle  Hill,  and  instead  of 
entering  the  upper  ward  and  going  straight  to  the 
little  library,  as  was  his  custom,  he  turned  aside  to 
the  South  Terrace.  Leaning  over  the  stone  balus 
trade,  he  looked  down  on  the  fair  gardens  at  his  left, 
all  aglow  with  color  that  summer  morning,  and  fill 
ing  the  air  almost  to  faintness  with  perfume.  A 
little  figure  was  moving  gracefully  here  and  there 
among  the  lilies  and  roses. 

As  he  watched  her,  Little  Lady  looked  up,  and 
beckoned  him  to  join  her.  But  he  had  never  fre 
quented  the  gardens.  In  fact,  he  had  never  entered 
them  except  once  or  twice  under  Gloster's  imme 
diate  guidance. 

"  Come  down  to  me !  I  need  you ! "  she  cried, 
imperiously,  as  he  shook  his  head  by  way  of  denial. 
"  Come ! " 

He  hesitated  a  moment,  and  then,  descending  the 
long  flight  of  steps,  stood  before  her,  cap  in  hand. 

"Cover  thyself,  and  carry  these,"  she  said,  laying 
a  great  sheaf  of  lilies  across  his  outstretched  arms. 
"  I  have  more  to  cut.  They  are  for  —  him." 

Robin  followed  her  from  bed  to  bed,  and  through 
the  bosky  shrubbery,  while  she  added  to  the  fragrant 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  1 67 

spoil  he  carried,  but  neither  spoke.  Ordinary  topics 
seemed  forbidden  ;  and  with  the  curious  reticence  of 
young  souls,  they  shrank  from  the  one  theme  that 
was  yet  all-engrossing  to  them  both.  What  was 
there  to  be  said?  The  realm  of  silence  was  too 
near.  Its  shadow  was  too  all-pervading. 

Leaving  the  gardens  at  length  by  the  steps  lead 
ing  up  to  the  East  Terrace,  Little  Lady  led  the  way 
to  the  nearest  tower,  and  from  thence  turned  her 
steps  in  the  direction  of  Gloster's  own  suite  of 
rooms. 

"Come  on!"  she  said,  as  Robin  hung  back,  over 
powered  by  a  strange  dread  of  he  knew  not  what ; 
and  he  obeyed  meekly. 

Her  own  hands  held  a  basket  overflowing  with 
violets,  fresh  and  dewy  from  the  deep  recesses 
of  the  shrubbery.  Reaching  the  door  of  the  pres 
ence-chamber,  which  Robin  had  not  entered  since 
the  fatal  night  of  the  banquet,  she  unlocked  it  with 
a  key  that  hung  from  her  girdle,  and  drew  aside  the 
tapestry  swaying  beyond  it. 

"He  lies  here,"  she  whispered  ;  "follow  me  !  " 

For  a  moment,  in  the  semi-darkness,  Robin  could 
see  nothing ;  but  as  he  waited  his  vision  cleared. 
He  was  familiar  with  the  room,  a  large,  oblong 
chamber,  roofed  and  panelled  in  carved  oak.  He 
had  played  there  many  a  time.  Yet,  as  his  eye 
swept  down  its  long  length,  he  doubted  its  identity, 


1 68  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

—  or  his  own,  —  so  changed,  so  altered  did  it  seem. 
Across  the  upper  end  of  the  apartment  was  a  dais, 
raised  by  three  steps.  Here  the  walls,  windows, 
and  ceiling  were  heavily  draped  with  fine  black 
baize,  fold  on  fold,  studded  with  silver  stars.  In  the 
middle  of  the  dais  was  a  light  and  graceful  canopy 
of  black  and  silver;  and  beneath  it,  on  a  low  cata 
falque,  lay  all  that  was  mortal  of  William,  fifth  Duke 
of  Gloster.  Great  waxen  candles  burned  in  silver 
sconces,  shedding  a  sombre  light  on  velvet  pall,  on 
escutcheon,  shield,  and  banner. 

At  the  head  and  foot  of  the  bier,  erect  and  motion 
less  as  so  many  carven  statues,  stood  four  soldiers  in 
the  full  uniform  of  the  Queen's  Guards,  that  still 
bore  some  slight  traces  of  ancient  armor.  Beyond 
it,  two  dignitaries  of  the  Church,  in  black  gowns  and 
scarlet  hoods,  paced  slowly  back  and  forth. 

Robin  caught  his  breath  quickly,  as  the  beautiful, 
sad  picture  revealed  itself,  and  it  was  with  difficulty 
that  he  restrained  himself  from  crying  out.  Little 
Lady  had  seen  it  all  before,  and  in  some  degree 
grown  familiar  with  it.  Quickly,  but  silently,  she 
glided  down  the  long  room,  and,  after  a  little  delay, 
Robin  followed  at  a  slower  pace  through  the  half 
darkness,  bearing  his  burden  of  roses  and  lilies. 

As  Anne  reached  the  steps  of  the  dais,  she  paused 
a  moment,  making  her  obeisance  as  one  who  ap 
proaches  an  altar.  The  silent  guards  saluted  as  the 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  169 

two  drew  near,  and  the  pacing  priests  stayed  their 
monotonous  march  to  see  what  was  going  on.  Robin 
stood  motionless,  almost  without  breathing,  while 
his  companion  took  the  flowers  from  him,  one  by  one, 
and  laid  them,  with  no  definite  attempt  at  arrange 
ment,  wherever  there  was  room  on  the  white  pillow 
and  the  pulseless  breast,  and  even  slipped  one  pure 
lily  into  the  half-shut  hand.  But  when,  at  last,  she 
lifted  the  basket  of  violets,  and  let  them  fall  in  a  full, 
fragrant,  purple  shower  on  the  still  form  of  him 
whom  they  had  both  loved  so  deeply,  he  sank  on  his 
knees  with  a  low  cry,  and  buried  his  face  in  the  folds 
of  the  velvet  pall. 

Then  there  was  not  a  heaving  of  a  sigh,  nor  a 
quiver  of  his  frame.  He  lay  as  one  dead. 

Anne  looked  at  him  for  a  moment,  and  then  — 
enacting  already  the  woman's  part  of  consoler  —  she 
knelt  beside  him,  and  took  his  cold  hand  in  hers. 

"  Come  away,  come  away  with  me,  Robin,"  she 
whispered.  "  Come  out  of  this  dread  place  into  the 
sunshine,  and  let  me  try  to  give  you  comfort.  Come, 
Robin ! " 

But  he  did  not  move ;  and  presently  Anne,  in  a 
sudden  panic,  flew  to  the  smaller  of  the  two  clergy 
men,  who  still  stood  watching  the  scene  with  grave, 
sympathetic  faces,  and  grasped  his  robe. 

"  Come  and  speak  to  him,  dear  Doctor  Ken,"  she 
sobbed.  "  You  will  know  what  to  say !  He  will 


I/O  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

hearken  to  you,  but  he  will  not  take  heed  to  me. 
Come  and  speak  to  him,  dear  sir  !  " 

And  Thomas  Ken,  the  saintly  man  who  had  sacri 
ficed  to  his  sense  of  duty,  not  only  his  bishopric,  but 
all  hopes  of  worldly  preferment,  yet  who  loved  the 
Princess  Anne  and  had  hastened  to  her  in  her  grief, 
took  Little  Lady's  small  hand  in  his  own,  and  led  her 
back  to  the  bier. 

"  The  peace  of  our  Lord  Christ  be  with  thee,  my 
son,"  he  said,  stooping  over  the  bowed  form. 

As  if  the  strong,  thrilling,  tender  voice  had  had 
power  to  call  his  soul  back  from  some  far  country, 
the  boy  lifted  his  head,  looked  into  the  kind  yet 
masterful  face  that  bent  over  him,  and  answered  in 
the  common  words  of  the  ritual,  —  "  And  with  thy 
spirit." 

Ken,  touched  beyond  measure  by  this  unexpected 
response,  raised  the  lad  to  his  feet,  and  led  him  and 
Anne  to  a  seat  at  the  other  end  of  the  room.  Here, 
for  a  full  hour,  he  gave  of  the  opulent  riches  of  his 
mind  and  heart  to  the  comforting  and  strengthening 
of  those  two  young  grieving  souls.  What  he  said 
to  them  may  not  be  repeated  here.  But  when,  giv 
ing  them  the  blessing  they  knelt  to  receive,  he  bade 
them  go  forth  calmly,  with  hearts  uplifted  from  the 
shadow  of  death,  they  obeyed  him,  feeling  that  an 
angel  had  been  with  them. 

"Who  may  the  lad  be?"  Ken  asked  of  his  com- 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  I?  I 

panion,  who  was  one  of  the  chaplains  of  the  castle, 
as  he  returned  to  the  dais.  "  Is  he  of  the  blood 
royal?" 

"  Bah,  no  !  "  was  the  answer.  "  'Tis  but  a  village 
lad  who  hath  been  allowed  to  be  much  with  the  young 
duke,  and  to  have  a  share  in  many  of  his  lessons.  A 
kind  of  David  and  Jonathan  affair.  It  may  go  hard 
with  him,  now  that  the  duke  hath  gone,  poor  lad ! 
No  wonder  that  he  weeps." 

"  Thinking  he  hath  lost  his  best  friend  ?  It  is 
hard.  But  I  tell  thee  he  hath  a  rare  nature,  that 
lad,  if  Thomas  Ken  be  any  judge  of  such  matters. 
And  he  hath  known  much  of  boys,  first  and  last." 

But  just  then  a  summons  from  the  princess  called 
Doctor  Ken  from  his  long  watch  in  the  presence- 
chamber. 

On  the  night  of  the  fourth  of  August,  i/oo,  a  sol 
emn  torchlight  procession  wound  its  slow  way  from 
Windsor  to  London.  In  the  odorous,  dewy,  starry 
darkness,  it  passed  on  silently,  with  not  even  the 
sound  of  soft  music  to  direct  its  steps,  through  the 
Little  Park  and  Old  Windsor,  by  Staines  and  Brent 
ford,  by  the  side  of  the  flowing  river,  and  under  the 
majestic  trees  of  Richmond,  that  turned  to  quivering 
gold  as  the  rays  of  the  passing  torches  fell  upon 
their  leaves ;  raised  aloft  on  a  stately  bier,  with 
sable  plumes  and  trailing  banners  and  all  the  para 
phernalia  of  mourning,  was  the  body  of  the  young 


172  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

prince,  that  it  might  lie  in  state  in  Westminster 
ere  its  burial  in  the  mighty  Abbey,  —  that  crowded 
sepulchre  of  kings  where  sleep  so  many  of  Eng 
land's  noblest  sons. 

The  procession  was  in  charge  of  the  Duke  of 
Marlborough,  and  was  conducted,  no  doubt,  with 
all  due  observance  of  form  and  precedent.  But 
none  of  those  with  whom  this  story  has  most  to 
do  went  on  this  midnight  journey, — not  even  the 
princess.  They  were  all  waiting  at  the  great  gate, 
however ;  all  but  the  poor  mother,  who  watched  the 
sad  pageant  from  her  turret  chamber. 

Little  Lady  was  there,  in  charge  of  Mistress 
Randee,  with  an  uplifted  look  on  her  small  face. 
"  I  cannot  shed  one  tear,"  she  said  to  Robin,  who 
stood  at  a  little  distance  with  Dame  Dorothy.  "  It 
is  all  so  beautiful  and  solemn." 

There  was  a  look  of  exaltation  on  his  face,  too, 
as  he  turned  it  towards  her  in  response.  "Aye," 
he  answered,  "and  so  noble.  Little  Lady,  doth 
it  not  seem  to  you  that  he  is  keeping  the  vigil 
to-night,  up  there  in  the  darkness?  I  would,  oh, 
I  would  I  were  with  him ! "  he  cried,  in  a  sudden 
burst  of  boyish  emotion. 

Anne  put  forth  her  hand  under  cover  of  her 
cloak,  and  touched  his  arm.  "  Hush ! "  she  said. 
"Dost  thou  not  remember  what  the  good  Bishop 
Ken  said  to  us  ?  Have  peace  !  " 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

He  drew  a  little  nearer,  comforted  by  the  light 
pressure  of  her  hand.  "  Little  Lady,"  he  whispered. 

"What,  Robin?" 

"  Is  it  all  over  ?  Is  everything  changed  ?  Will 
you  still  speak  to  me  sometimes,  if  we  should 
chance  to  meet  ? " 

"  Speak  to  you  ?  Why  should  I  not  ?  Is  what 
over,  Robin  ? " 

But  he  said  no  more,  for  just  then  the  procession 
they  had  been  watching  from  afar  came  down  the 
hill,  and  they  stood  breathless  as  it  passed  by  and 
wound  its  slow  way  through  the  gates. 

As  it  disappeared  from  sight,  the  group  of  sad- 
faced  women,  of  whom  Mistress  Randee  was  one, 
turned  back  to  the  castle ;  and  Dame  Dorothy, 
slipping  her  arm  into  Robin's,  —  for  he  was  now 
taller  than  she,  —  said,  "  Take  me  home,  laddie ! 
I  am  weary  with  standing  so  long  on  my  old  legs, 
and  it  must  be  that  you  are  tired,  too.  Come  home, 
and  rest  thee." 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

ROYAL  etiquette  in  the  seventeenth  century  de 
manded  that,  in  case  of  a  death,  the  family  should 
at  once  seek  other  quarters,  leaving  the  house 
where  it  had  occurred  to  the  mute  occupancy  of 
the  dead,  and  in  control  of  the  officials  having 
charge  of  the  funeral. 

But  the  Princess  Anne  refused  to  yield  to  the 
mandates  of  custom  in  this  matter,  and  pertina 
ciously  remained  at  Windsor,  in  spite  of  all  entreat 
ies  to  the  contrary.  She  had  attended  her  dying 
child  with  the  utmost  tenderness,  but  with  a  com 
posure  that  astonished  all  beholders.  As  one 
chronicler  remarks,  "  She  gave  way  to  no  violent 
bursts  of  agony,  and  never  wept,  but  seemed  occu 
pied  with  high  and  awful  thoughts." 

What  those  thoughts  were,  in  an  age  when  a 
stern  belief  in  the  retributive  justice  of  God,  and 
in  temporal  judgments,  was  thoroughly  in  accord 
with  all  accepted  theology,  may  readily  be  imagined. 
In  that  hour  of  her  stony  grief,  her  heart  turned 
to  her  exiled  father  in  a  passion  of  remorseful  ten 
derness.  To  advance  the  interests  of  her  own  son, 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  1/5 

she  had  branded,  or  had  stood  idly  by  and  allowed 
others  to  brand,  his  son  —  her  young  brother  — 
with  the  stigma  of  illegitimacy.  Now  the  object 
of  all  this  cruel,  sinuous  policy  was  but  dust.  She 
had  sinned  for  naught,  and  God  had  punished  her. 

With  an  expression  on  her  face  that  was  never 
forgotten  by  those  who  saw  it,  she  rose  from  the 
bed  where  lay  the  body  of  her  dead  child,  retired 
to  her  own  chamber,  dismissed  her  attendants,  and 
locked  the  door.  They  who  prepared  her  son  for 
his  burial  had  not  yet  completed  their  task  when 
she  poured  out  her  whole  heart,  with  its  burden 
of  grief  and  penitence,  in  a  letter  to  her  father, 
telling  him  of  her  bereavement,  beseeching  his 
forgiveness,  and  begging  for  his  sympathy.  This 
letter  she  sent  by  an  express,  but  with  the  utmost 
secrecy,  to  St.  Germain;  so  that  King  James  II. 
was  probably  the  first  person  outside  the  kingdom 
to  be  informed  of  the  death  of  his  grandson. 

As  for  William  III.,  he  seems  to  have  been  torn 
by  conflicting  passions.  He  was  in  Holland  at  the 
time  of  Gloster's  death,  at  his  favorite  palace  of 
Loo,  and  was  speedily  informed  of  the  event  by  Lord 
Marlborough.  But  August  and  September  passed, 
and  October  was  almost  half  gone,  before  he  conde 
scended  to  take  the  least  notice  of  the  loss  of  his 
heir.  Meanwhile,  of  course,  no  court  mourning  had 
been  ordered. 


1/6  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

At  this  distance  of  time  it  is  perhaps  easier  to 
discern  the  reason  for  this  than  it  was  then.  The 
perspective  is  better.  It  is  not  possible  to  believe 
that  his  Majesty  of  England  was  so  devoid  of  the 
common  instincts  of  humanity  as  to  have  felt  no 
sorrow  at  the  death  of  the  princely  child  he  had 
made  his  heir,  and  whom  in  his  saner  moments  he 
had  seemed  to  regard  with  affection.  But  he  was  in 
one  of  the  long  fits  of  silent  moroseness  that  were  a 
part  of  his  mental  endowment.  He  had  in  some  way 
become  aware  of  the  fact  that  the  Princess  Anne  was 
in  communication  with  her  father.  Her  only  son 
was  dead.  Her  ambition  had  been  for  him  rather 
than  for  herself.  What  was  more  natural  than  that 
her  lonely  heart  should  turn  to  her  nearest  living 
relatives,  —  her  father,  brother,  and  sister  in  France  ? 

However,  in  October,  when  Gloster  had  lain  in  his 
grave  more  than  two  months,  his  Majesty  wrote  thus 
from  Loo :  "  I  do  not  think  it  necessary  to  employ 
many  words  in  expressing  my  surprise  and  grief  at 
the  death  of  the  Duke  of  Gloster.  It  is  so  great 
a  loss  to  me,  as  well  as  to  all  England,  that  it  pierces 
my  heart  with  affliction." 

Dame  Dorothy,  whose  skill  in  lace-making  made 
her  a  rare  mender  of  the  choicer  tissues  of  Flanders 
and  Venice,  was  often  summoned  to  the  castle  to 
repair  a  torn  flounce,  a  frayed  veil,  or  a  fine  purfle. 
The  day  after  this  letter  from  his  Majesty  was  re- 


IN  KINGS1  HOUSES. 

ceived,  she  was  in  the  bedchamber  of  the  princess, 
looking  critically  at  a  fragile  web,  somewhat  the 
worse  for  wear  and  tear. 

"'Tis  a  bad  rent,"  she  said,  holding  it  up  to  the 
light.  "  Bad,  indeed,  my  Lady  Anne.  But  me- 
thinks  it  is  not  past  mending.  I  will  do  the  best 
I  can,  if  your  Grace  chooses  to  trust  me.  Shall  I 
take  it  home  with  me,  madam  ? " 

"  Nay,  you  may  as  well  do  it  here,"  answered  the 
princess.  "Take  the  basket  over  to  the  oriel 
yonder,  where  the  light  is  good.  Your  eyes  are 
marvellous,  Dorothy,  but  you  need  good  sunlight 
for  such  fine  work." 

"  Yes,  my  lady.  My  eyes  are  not  what  they  once 
were,  though  they  have  stood  the  strain  of  well-nigh 
seventy  years  fairly  well,  thank  God  !  But  my  basket 
and  I  would  be  more  out  of  the  way  in  the  inner 
room.  The  light  is  good  enow ; "  and  she  glanced 
in  at  the  door  of  the  smaller  chamber  adjoining. 

The  princess  hesitated  a  moment,  and  then  pointed 
to  the  oriel.  "  It  is  better  there,"  she  said  ;  "  and, 
if  it  were  not,  I  like  to  see  you  sitting  in  that  window. 
I  am  troubled  and  lonely  this  morning,  Dorothy.  I 
would  you  could  take  me  in  your  arms,  and  rock  me 
on  your  breast,  as  you  did  when  I  was  a  little  child." 

"  I  wish  I  could,  dear  my  lady,"  she  answered, 
raising  to  her  lips  the  hem  of  the  princess's  flowing 
black  sleeve,  "  for  I  understand,  though  I  say  little. 


178  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

I  have  learned  in  my  long  life  that  death  and  sorrow 
are  no  respecters  of  persons." 

"Aye,  they  are  not.  Neither  are  mean  jealousy, 
and  hatred,  and  spiteful  revenge.  Dorothy,  my  heart 
is  sore  for  Gloster,  yet  sometimes  I  am  glad  he  is  out 
of  it  all." 

To  this,  Dorothy's  only  answer  was  a  mute  glance 
of  sympathy.  Presently  the  princess  went  on,  her 
voice  trembling : 

"  Dorothy,  the  King  has  ordered  that  the  salaries 
of  Gloster's  servants  should  be  stopped  at  the  date 
of  his  death.  Yet  it  was  not  till  yesterday  that  he 
gave  token  of  being  aware  of  it,  and  the  court  has 
not  yet  gone  into  mourning.  But  it  shall  not  be  !  It 
shall  not  be  !  "  she  cried,  wringing  her  hands.  "  I 
will  pawn  my  jewels,  if  need  be,  but  they  shall  every 
one  be  paid  their  full  year's  wage,  and  those  who 
have  been  long  in  service  shall  be  pensioned.  I  can 
not  bear  this,  Dorothy !  It  would  have  broken  Glos 
ter's  heart,  and  it  breaks  mine.  Ah,  mea  culpa,  me  a 
culpa ! "  she  moaned,  turning  to  the  window,  and 
gazing  out  over  the  autumnal  woods  with  eyes  that 
saw  not. 

Dorothy  did  not  know  the  meaning  of  the  Latin 
words,  but  she  did  know  the  meaning  of  the  moan. 
Yet  it  was  several  minutes  before  she  remarked, 
with  her  eyes  fixed  on  the  flower  she  was  restoring, 
"  But,  surely,  Parliament,  my  lady  — 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  1 79 

"  Parliament !  "  interrupted  Anne.  "  Parliament 
placed  in  the  King's  hands,  for  the  support  of  the 
Duke  of  Gloster's  establishment,  a  yearly  sum  thrice 
as  large  as  he  has  ever  expended.  It  has  gone  to 
swell  his  own  coffers.  But  the  servants  shall  be 
paid,  if  from  my  own  privy  purse.  They  loved  the 
young  duke,  —  God  bless  them! — and  they  shall  not 
be  turned  off  empty-handed,  as  if  they  had  been  but 
breaking  stones  on  the  highway." 

The  small  foot  of  the  princess  beat  a  nervous 
tattoo  on  the  Indian  rug  as  she  spoke.  Presently 
she  changed  the  subject. 

"  Dorothy,  tell  me  of  Robin.  I  have  not  seen 
him  for  many  weeks.  God  forgive  me,  but  I  have 
scarcely  thought  of  the  lad,  — and  I  promised  Gloster 
I  would  care  for  him." 

"  Your  Grace  has  had  much  else  to  think  of.  It 
is  not  strange,"  said  the  old  woman.  "  Robin  is 
well,  but  he  is  very  sad.  The  loss  of  the  young 
prince  lies  heavy  on  his  heart ;  and  he  misses  the  old 
life,  no  doubt, — both  the  work  and  the  play.  But 
he  will  get  over  it  in  time,  my  lady.  Youth  forgets." 

The  princess  sat  for  some  minutes  lost  in  thought. 
It  was  Dame  Dorothy  who  at  last  broke  the  silence 
that  fell  between  them. 

"  My  Lady  Anne  ? " 

"Yes,  Dorothy." 

"  As  thou  knowest,  I  am  not  poor.     I  have  enow 


180  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

for  his  small  needs  and  for  my  own.  And  there  is 
Father  Hunt.  He  will  look  after  him  now  and  then, 
and  give  me  counsel  if  needs  be.  Fret  not  thyself 
about  Robin,  dear  my  lady !  " 

"  Nay,  but  I  promised,  I  promised  !  "  cried  the 
princess.  "  It  was  the  last  thing  Gloster  asked  of 
me;  and  if  it  were  not,  I  care  for  the  lad  myself. 
But  I  must  take  time  to  think,  for  the  way  is  not 
clear  to  me.  Trust  me,  Dorothy,  for  I  shall  keep 
my  word." 

"  My  princess,  art  thou  not  a  child  of  the  House 
of  Stuart  ?  I  would  trust  thee  with  my  heart's 
blood,  if  need  be,"  said  Dorothy,  in  a  low  voice  that 
was  yet  thrilling  in  its  intensity.  "  I  meant  only 
this.  Thou  hast  many  cares  already,  and  the  times 
are  strange  and  troublous.  I  would  not  add  so  much 
as  a  feather's  weight  to  thy  burden,"  and  Dorothy 
dropped  her  work,  letting  her  hands  fall  idly  in  her 
lap  as  she  bent  her  tender  blue-gray  eyes  on  the 
face  of  her  lady. 

"The  House  of  Stuart  is  ill-fated.  Death  and 
disaster  follow  the  race,"  said  Anne,  with  a  long- 
drawn  sigh.  "  Bloody  deaths,  exile,  woe  upon  woe. 
I  have  had  my  share  in  bringing  them  about,  and  in 
return  William  tramples  upon  me,  crushing  my 
heart.  It  is  God's  will.  So  he  punishes  me." 

The  Stuarts,  as  well  as  the  Plantagenets,  were  a 
superstitious  race.  Perhaps  it  was  not  strange  that, 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  l8l 

in  this  hour  of  her  desolation,  the  daughter  of  James 
II.  should  have  regarded  William  III.  as  the  inst.ru- 
ment  of  God's  vengeance.  Dorothy  rose  quietly 
and  folded  her  work.  "  Nay,  my  lady,"  she  said, 
"we  are  not  overwise  as  to  God's  will.  Be  not  too 
sure  as  to  his  punishments,  or  the  purpose  of  the 
sorrows  he  permitteth.  Is  it  your  Grace's  wish 
that  I  come  to-morrow  and  finish  this  ? " 

"  Yes  ;  and  then  we  will  talk  further  as  to  Robin. 
I  must  think." 

The  next  day  Dame  Dorothy  sat  in  the  oriel  win 
dow  again,  patiently  plying  her  needle.  She  had 
brought  pillow  and  bobbins  also,  and  leaf  and  flower 
grew  fair  again  under  the  skill  of  her  deft  fingers. 
There  was  much  coming  and  going  that  morning. 

Sarah  of  Marlborough,  a  stately,  splendid  figure, 
far  more  queenly  than  her  Royal  Highness,  swept  in 
and  out  imperiously,  never  deigning  so  much  as  a 
glance  at  the  quiet  figure  in  the  oriel.  Her  star  was 
in  the  ascendant  just  then.  The  death  of  the  Duke 
of  Gloster  had  greatly  lessened  the  worldly  impor 
tance  of  the  Princess  Anne,  even  in  her  own  house 
hold  ;  and  her  ungrateful  favorite  was  by  no  means 
the  last  to  make  her  aware  of  this  fact.  Yet,  in 
spite  of  her  cruel  insolence,  Anne  could  not  forget 
the  friendship  that  had  been  the  one  romance  of 
her  life. 

Whether    Lady   Marlborough   ever  had   any  real 


1 82  IN  KINGS1   HOUSES. 

love  for  Anne  may  well  be  doubted  in  the  light  of 
subsequent  events.  But  Anne's  for  her  cannot  be 
disputed.  She  bore  with  her  haughty  favorite,  con 
doning  and  overlooking  until  forgiveness  ceased  to 
be  a  virtue. 

The  day  was  far  spent  before  the  princess  found  a 
moment  for  her  conference  with  Dame  Dorothy. 

"  Put  by  the  work,"  she  said,  when  they  were  at 
last  alone.  "  If  the  rent  be  not  mended,  come  again 
to-morrow.  Dorothy,  I  must  leave  Robin  to  you 
for  awhile.  I  promised  Gloster  that  I  would  care 
for  his  future,  and  the  promise  is  sacred.  But  the 
time  is  not  yet.  I  cannot  plan  even  for  myself. 
Next  week  we  leave  Windsor,  —  and  go  back  to  St. 
James's,  where  I  was  such  a  proud  and  happy  mother 
only  last  May !  Heigh-ho !  'Tis  a  strange,  sad 
world,  as  full  of  ups  and  downs  as  the  merry-go- 
round  at  Bartholomew's  Fair.  I  would  I  might  stay 
at  Windsor,  where  my  son  drew  his  last  breath.  But 
I  am  but  a  puppet  now,  and  must  move  as  the  string 
is  pulled,  whether  I  will  or  no." 

"  Fret  not  about  Robin,  dear  Lady  Anne,"  Dorothy 
answered.  "  As  I  said  yesterday,  he  is  well  off  with 
me ;  and  if  he  be  a  little  downcast  at  times,  it  is  no 
marvel.  But  he  hath  many  books,  —  thanks  to  your 
Grace,  —  and  he  hath  the  forest  for  hunting  and  fish 
ing,  and  Father  Hunt,  to  whom  he  can  go  for  a  man's 
counsel.  Lads  like  not  always  to  be  shut  in  with 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  183 

women.  Robin  will  do  well  for  awhile,  my  lady ; 
and,  to  speak  truth,  I  would  not  choose  London  for 
him  till  he  is  older,  even  in  thine  own  court.  'Tis  a 
place  full  of  peril,  God  knows." 

Anne  mused  for  a  few  minutes,  with  her  finger  on 
her  lip,  then  turned,  smiling  more  brightly  than  for 
many  days.  "  We  must  not  make  a  milksop  of  the 
lad,"  she  said,  "nor  a  bookworm,  as  the  soldiers  call 
the  scholars.  Learning  is  well  enough  in  its  place ; 
but  'tis  a  stirring  world.  Mat  Hansel  knows  the 
points  of  a  good  steed.  He  shall  choose  for  him 
the  best  saddle-horse  in  the  mews  ;  and  do  you  mind 
that  he  rides  and  shoots  and  does  not  sit  pothering 
over  dry  books  all  day.  For  what  I  think  is  this, 
Dorothy :  the  lad  should  have  a  place  in  some  brave 
gentleman's  household.  That  is  better  than  the 
court  for  him  at  his  age.  But  I  cannot  manage  it 
now.  My  heart  is  dull  and  heavy,  and  the  future  is 
uncertain.  Let  him  bide  as  he  is  for  awhile." 

"That  is  just  what  I  would  have  chosen  for  him, 
madam,"  said  Dorothy,  her  eyes  kindling,  "a  place 
in  a  brave  gentleman's  household.  But  there  is  no 
need  of  haste  in  the  matter,  God  be  praised.  Look, 
my  lady !  Mistress  Hill  waits  to  do  her  office." 

"  Go,  then,  and  send  Robin  to  me  on  Monday 
next.  I  would  fain  speak  with  him  before  we  go  up 
to  London.  Dorothy  !  " 

The  old  woman  turned,  and  curtseyed. 


1 84  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

"  Let  not  your  Father  Hunt  make  a  Papist  of  the 
lad  !  That  would  ruin  all." 

"  Never  fear,  never  fear,  my  lady.  Father  Hunt 
is  wise  and  honorable.  He  hath  his  own  faith,  but 
he  meddles  not  with  that  of  others.  Yet  I  would  to 
God,  madam,  we  were  all  of  one  faith  in  this  poor, 
distracted  land,  and  worshipped  him  without  all  these 
fierce  quarrels.  What  doth  the  great  God  up  in 
heaven  care  whether  we  be  called  Papists  or  Protes 
tants,  if  we  do  but  serve  him  under  either  name  ? 
But  Father  Hunt  will  not  harm  Robin." 

"  See  to  it  that  he  doth  not,"  retorted  the  princess, 
laughing  at  Dorothy's  vehemence.  "  Fare  thee  well. 
Send  the  lad  to  me  as  I  bade  you,  at  three  o'clock 
on  Monday." 


CHAPTER    XV. 

FOR  three  or  four  happy  years  Windsor  had  been 
closely  associated  with  the  princely  boy  who  loved 
it,  and  for  whose  sake,  chiefly,  his  mother,  while 
often  living  elsewhere,  had  yet  made  it  her  own 
favorite  home. 

But  now,  all  was  changed.  With  the  disappear 
ance  of  the  bright,  alert  figure  that  had  been  always 
in  evidence,  scaling  the  ramparts,  climbing  the  tow 
ers,  racing  over  the  terraces,  wandering  in  forest 
and  garden,  or  drilling  his  "men,"  silence  and  deso 
lation  seemed  to  settle  down  on  the  great  castle  and 
its  environs. 

Robin  seldom  went  up  the  hill,  though  he  was 
always  sure  of  a  welcome  from  Mistress  Randee. 
Heretofore,  when  the  household  had  been  away  for 
weeks  and  months  at  a  time,  absence  had  seemed 
nothing.  Soon  the  flags  would  be  flying  again,  and 
the  old  life  renewed.  But  now,  every  gray  stone  in 
Windsor  spoke  to  him  of  the  unreturning  dead.  He 
grew  strangely  quiet  and  reticent.  All  the  boyish 
zest  had  gone  out  of  life,  and  it  fell  flat  and 
insipid. 

185 


1 86  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

Dame  Dorothy  did  not  tell  him  what  was  in  store 
for  him  in  the  matter  of  the  horse,  rightly  thinking 
that  the  sudden  surprise  and  pleasure  might  rouse 
him  from  the  lethargy  into  which  he  had  fallen. 
Two  or  three  days  passed,  and  then  Mat  Hansel, 
nothing  loath,  led  a  beautiful  bay  filly  to  Dame 
Dorothy's  door.  "All  saddled,  all  bridled,  all  fit 
for  the  fight,"  she  pawed  the  ground  with  her  one 
pretty  white  foot,  and  champed  the  bit,  as  if  eager  to 
greet  and  acknowledge  her  lord  and  master. 

Mat  knocked  with  the  handle  of  his  whip,  and 
Betty  Macthorne  opened  the  door,  —  the  upper  half 
of  it,  —  and  stood  leaning  upon  the  lower  half,  with 
her  plump  arms  crossed. 

"Oh!  Is  it  you,  Master  Hansel?  What  will 
you  ?  My  mistress  is  out  of  an  errand." 

"I  came  not  to  see  the  mistress  this  time,"  he 
answered,  fastening  his  horse  to  the  paling.  "  By 
your  leave,  I  will  come  in  and  wait.  I  have  a  small 
matter  of  business  with  the  young  Master  Robin, 
but  faith !  if  he  be  not  in  either,  I  will  make  shift 
to  bear  it.  Betty,"  he  continued,  trying  to  slip  his 
arm  about  her  waist  as  he  pressed  past  her,  "  I  grow 
older  every  day.  See !  I  have  brought  thee  a  gray 
hair  the  barber  plucked  out  yesterday.  Wilt  thou 
have  it  put  in  a  gold  locket  ? " 

She  eluded  his  clasp,  laughing  lightly.  "  Oh, 
Master  Hansel,  wilt  thou  never  forget  that  gibe  ? 


IN  KINGS1   HOUSES.  1 87 

Thou  art  too  old  for  a  playfellow,  and  not  old 
enough  to  inspire  reverence,  for  all  thy  one  gray 
hair.  That's  how  the  matter  stands." 

"  I  am  old  enough,  and  young  enough  to  love 
thee,  lass  !  Believe  thou  that !  " 

But  here  his  love-making  was  suddenly  cut  short 
by  the  appearance  of  Dame  Dorothy  and  Robin. 
The  former  had  seen  the  filly  tethered  at  the  gate, 
but  she  held  her  peace,  merely  remarking,  "The 
head  groom,  Mat  Hansel,  must  be  within." 

Mat  was,  on  the  whole,  rather  a  favorite  with 
the  mistress  of  the  cottage ;  all  the  more  of  one, 
perhaps,  because,  with  the  common  obliviousness 
of  approaching  age,  she  did  not  realize  that  Betty 
had  outgrown  her  childhood,  and  was  old  enough 
to  have  suitors.  He  rose  and  saluted  her  respect 
fully. 

"  Sit  thee  down,  sit  thee  down,  Master  Hansel. 
'Tis  a  fine  evening.  Art  thou  out  for  a  ride  in 
the  cool  of  the  day  ?  It  is  wondrous  warm  for  the 
season." 

"Aye,  so  they  say.  'Tis  always  either  too  hot 
or  too  cold  for  the  season,  as  I  was  saying  to  one 
of  the  maids  this  morning.  But  I  have  something 
to  show  to  the  young  master,  if  he  will  come  to  the 
door.  Saw  you  ever  a  finer  filly  than  that,  my  young 
sir  ?  Look  at  her  legs  !  Look  at  her  feet !  And 
that  well-turned  head !  'Tis  the  finest  that  ever 


1 88  IN  KINGS*  HOUSES. 

sat  on  shoulders.  Tell  me  now,  is  she  not  a 
beauty  ? "  / 

Robin  walked  round  the  pretty  creature,  gravely 
commenting  and  admiring ;  wondering,  too,  a  little, 
if  the  truth  must  be  told,  at  Mat's  unwonted  en 
thusiasm,  which  was  all  explained  when  he  loosened 
the  bridle,  and  put  it  in  the  boy's  hand.  "Take 
her,  Master  Robin,"  he  cried.  "  She  is  yours. 
The  princess  bade  me  bring  her." 

Never  was  bewilderment  greater  than  Robin's, 
as  he  stood  for  a  moment,  looking  from  Mat  to  the 
filly,  and  from  the  filly  to  Mat.  "  Mine ! "  he  ex 
claimed.  "  Mine !  It  cannot  be !  The  princess 
would  have  told  me  if  —  " 

"But  she  told  me,"  Mat  interrupted,  taking  a 
silk  handkerchief  from  his  jerkin,  and  polishing  the 
mare's  glossy  coat.  "  She  is  yours,  fast  enough,  sir, 
and  much  pleasure  may  you  have  of  her." 

"  The  princess  told  me  you  were  to  have  a  horse," 
said  Dorothy,  smiling  happily.  "  The  filly  is  truly 
yours,  Robin,  —  a  gift  from  her  Grace.  Master 
Hansel  is  to  teach  you  how  to  take  care  of  her, 
and  you  are  to  be  in  the  saddle  half  the  day.  Hear 
you  that?" 

Robin's  wonder  and  delight,  when  he  at  last  realized 
his  good  fortune,  was  unbounded.  The  possession 
of  any  horse  would  have  pleased  him  ;  but  the  sole 
ownership  of  this  beautiful,  perfectly  appointed  little 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  189 

creature  was  too  much.  He  threw  both  arms  about 
her  neck,  and  kissed  the  forehead  she  bent  towards 
him  as  if  seeking  his  caress. 

"  Oh,  you  beauty,  you  darling ! "  he  cried,  his 
eyes  dancing,  and  his  cheeks  aglow  as  they  had 
not  been  for  many  a  long  day.  "  What  is  her 
name,  Mat  ?  What  shall  we  call  her  ?  She  must 
have  a  name  !  " 

"  Sure,  and  she  has  a  name  already,"  quoth  Mat, 
stroking  her  sleek  sides.  "  Soh  !  Soh  !  my  lady  !  — 
Yes,  she  has  a  name ;  a  queer,  outlandish  one,  to 
my  thinking.  But  it  is  better  than  none,  and,  may 
hap,  better  than  a  new  one.  It  goes  like  this,  — 
Fan-u-el-la.  Heard  you  ever  before  such  a  name 
as  that  for  a  pretty  young  beastie,  my  master?" 

Robin  stood  in  a  brown  study,  trying  to  capture 
some  fleeting  memory,  while  a  puzzled  look  stole 
over  his  face. 

"  Oh,  I  know !  I  know !  "  he  shouted,  clapping 
his  hands.  "  She  is  named  after  Coeur-de-Lion's 
war-horse  Fanuelle,  who  was  slain  by  the  Saracens 
at  Ascalon  !  Fanuella !  Who  named  her,  I  wonder  ? 
But  it  must  have  been  Gloster,"  he  said,  his  voice 
falling,  as  he  turned  towards  his  grandmother.  "  It 
must  have  been  Gloster.  He  was  always  pondering 
over  those  old  stories,  and  trying  to  make  them  live 
again.  Did  not  his  Grace  name  her,  Mat  ?  " 

"  Very  like,  very  like,  though  I  don't  just  know. 


190  IN  KINGS*  HOUSES. 

It  was  one  of  the  other  grooms  had  charge  of  her. 
But  she  was  being  trained  for  the  duke's  riding,  and 
very  like  he  had  the  naming  of  her.  I  would  have 
called  her  '  Lady,'  myself,  she  is  such  a  dainty  piece, 
or,  mayhap,  'Whitefoot,'  for  she  weareth  a  white 
stocking.  But  I  am  glad  if  the  name  she  hath 
suits  your  ear,  my  young  master." 

"  I  would  have  no  other,"  he  answered ;  and  then 
there  followed  a  long  discussion  as  to  her  care  and 
keeping.  There  was  a  warm,  well-aired  stall  in  the 
cow-shed,  to  which  Robin  led  Mat  rather  tremulously. 
"  It  is  not  so  fine  as  the  stables  at  Windsor,"  he 
said,  with  a  doubtful  air.  Would  this  dainty  new 
friend  be  content  in  such  humble  quarters  ? 

"  Not  so  fine,  but  just  as  comfortable,"  answered 
Mat.  "  Never  you  fear  about  that.  Keep  her  well 
rubbed  down,  and  give  her  pure  water  and  a  warm 
mash,  with  a  quantum  of  oats  as  she  needs,  and  she 
will  do  as  well  here  as  in  the  castle  mews.  As  for 
the  currying,  I'll  come  down  and  lend  a  hand  my 
self,  now  and  again,  till  you  get  used  to  it." 

From  that  day  forth,  Fanuella  became  Robin's 
close  friend  and  unfailing  ally.  There  was  no  more 
morbid  brooding  and  listlessness.  The  two  became 
known  to  the  whole  country-side,  as  they  scampered 
over  it,  racing  up  hill  and  down  dale  with  entire 
sympathy  and  good-comradeship.  And  if  there  be 
any  better  comrade  for  a  growing  boy  than  a  sweet- 


IN  KINGS1   HOUSES.  191 

tempered,  spirited,  intelligent  horse,  this  chronicler 
has  yet  to  hear  of  it. 

When  Robin  made  his  appearance  at  the  appointed 
hour  on  Monday,  Mistress  Hill  gave  him  instant 
admission.  It  was  the  first  time  he  had  been  in  the 
immediate  presence  of  the  princess  since  the  day 
that  he  knelt  by  Gloster's  bedside.  Just  what  passed 
between  them  no  one  ever  knew.  But  when  he  left 
the  green  and  silver  chamber,  his  eyes  were  wet  with 
tears,  and  there  hung  about  his  neck  a  slender  gold 
chain,  from  which  was  suspended  a  miniature  of 
Gloster. 

Mistress  Hill  met  him  on  the  way  out,  and  laid 
a  detaining  hand  on  his  shoulder. 

"  We  are  going  away  in  a  day  or  so,  my  poor  lad," 
she  said,  "  and  mayhap  thou  mayst  not  be  on  the  hill 
again  ere  then.  Wouldst  thou  not  like  to  say  good- 
by  to  the  little  Lady  Anne  Gascoyne  ?  I  saw  her 
not  long  ago  loitering  by  herself  in  the  pleasaunce, 
near  the  great  rose-arbor." 

Robin  hesitated,  —  but  the  temptation  was  too 
great.  In  a  moment  he  was  bounding  through  the 
shrubbery. 

They  did  not  say  much.  Both  felt  instinctively 
that  they  met  on  a  different  footing  from  ever  before. 
He  who  had  been  at  once  friend,  playfellow,  and 
chaperon,  was  no  longer  with  them.  Little  Lady,  in 
the  innocence  of  her  heart,  had  said,  "Why  not?" 


192  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

when  Robin,  on  the  night  of  the  funeral  march,  and 
in  the  stress  of  many  vague,  half-defined  emotions, 
had  spoken  of  their  future  meetings.  But  he,  young 
as  he  was,  was  wise  enough  to  know  that  all  appear 
ance  of  anything  like  clandestine  meetings  must  be 
avoided,  —  for  her  sake. 

For  a  few  moments  they  paced  up  and  down  the 
alley  side  by  side,  while  Robin  showed  her  the  minia 
ture,  and  they  spoke  tenderly  of  their  lost  friend. 
Then  he  took  the  little  silver  arrow  from  his 
sleeve. 

"  It  may  be  long  ere  we  meet  again,  Little  Lady," 
he  said.  "Perhaps  we  may  never  meet,  for  the 
world  is  very  wide,  and  I  know  not  what  is  .before 
me.  Wilt  thou  take  this  little  token,  which  is  the 
best  I  have  to  give  thee,  and  keep  it  to  remind  thee 
now  and  again  of  thine  old  playfellow  ?  " 

Little  Lady  took  the  arrow  from  his  hand,  and 
kissed  it  reverently.  "  I  saw  Gloster  give  it  to  you 
that  last  bright  day,"  she  answered.  "I  will  wear 
it  for  his  sake,  —  and  for  yours." 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

THE  King  was  still  at  Loo.  The  princess  was  at 
the  palace  of  St.  James.  She  had  not  yet  recovered 
from  the  shock  of  her  son's  death ;  but  royal  person 
ages  have  little  time  to  weep.  In  her  case,  to  her 
natural  motherly  grief  was  added  the  sting  of  fallen 
fortunes.  Even  a  more  obtuse  woman  than  she 
could  not  have  failed  to  perceive  the  change  in  her 
importance  to  the  nation,  now  that  she  had  no  longer 
an  heir. 

But  she  had  her  little  court,  nevertheless,  —  a 
few  faithful  adherents,  and  more  than  the  usual 
proportion  of  trimmers,  time-servers,  and  hang 
ers-on,  who  were  waiting  to  see  whether  the  winds 
would  blow  east  or  west.  One  evening  several 
different  groups  were  assembled  in  her  drawing- 
room.  She  herself  was  at  cards,  with  a  number 
of  her  ladies  and  gentlemen  about  her,  —  some 
playing,  and  some  looking  on. 

In  one  corner  two  ecclesiastics  were  absorbed  in 
a  game  of  chess,  their  earnest,  thoughtful  faces 
bending  over  the  board,  while  a  young  gallant  of 
the  court,  with  well-curled  periwig  and  plenty  of 


194  Iff  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

furbelows,  leaned  against  the  casement,  twirling  his 
jewelled  cane  as  he  watched  the  moves,  and  gave 
much  sage  advice,  to  the  evident  discomfiture  of 
his  elders.  At  last  one  of  them  looked  up,  with 
a  slight  frown. 

"By  your  leave,  my  young  lord,"  he  said,  stroking 
his  chin  gravely  with  his  left  hand,  "  methinks  we 
can  manage  this  play  better  if  left  to  our  own  devices. 
Chess  brooks  not  so  much  interference." 

My  young  lord  shrugged  his  shoulders,  as  he  turned 
on  his  heel.  "  As  you  please,  reverend  sirs.  Have 
your  will,  have  your  will !  But,  I  assure  you,  I  know 
the  noble  game  at  which  you  are  dabbling  right  well, 
having  had  much  practice  both  at  Paris  and  at  The 
Hague.  That  last  move  was  not  according  to  rule, 
nor  was  the  one  you  were  about  to  make.  But,  — 
as  you  please,  — as  you  please  !  " 

The  first  speaker  looked  after  him  with  a  half 
smile,  and  then  slowly  and  deliberately  made  the 
move  just  scouted. 

"  Beshrew  me  !  but  these  young  cocks  crow  loud," 
he  said,  taking  up  his  pawn.  "  And  they  who  have 
once  roosted  on  foreign  palings  crow  loudest  of  all  — 
Paris  and  The  Hague,  forsooth  !  " 

Two  or  three  pages  were  flitting  about  on  hospi 
table  cares  intent.  A  pair  of  lovers  were  half  hidden 
in  the  embrasure  of  one  of  the  heavily  curtained  win 
dows.  In  another,  alone,  with  an  unopened  book  on 


IN  KINGS*  HOUSES.  195 

her  knee,  a  small  maiden  watched  the  scene  with 
grave,  untroubled  eyes.  She  wore  a  silver  arrow  in 
her  hair. 

Far  down  the  room,  and  quite  apart  from  its  other 
occupants,  two  men  had  possession  of  a  high-backed 
settle,  and  conversed  in  subdued  tones. 

"  Her  Royal  Highness  hath  a  sad  face  to-night,  Sir 
Francis,"  said  the  elder  of  the  twain,  "  in  spite  of  the 
smiles  she  dispenses.  Faith  !  there  is  cause  enough." 

"Yes,  my  lord.  She  lost  much  when  the  young 
duke  passed." 

"Ah,  but  I  meant  not  that,  solely,  though  God 
knows  it  must  have  wrung  her  heart.  Have  you 
heard  the  latest  rumor  ?  " 

"Whether  it  be  the  latest,  or  no,  is  more  than 
mortal  man  can  tell,  my  lord,"  replied  Sir  Francis. 
"They  fly  in  swarms.  But  I  have  heard  the  one 
current  to-day  with  the  coffee-house  politicians  —  to 
the  effect  that  his  Majesty  thinks  of  taking  unto 
himself  a  second  queen.  Is  it  to  that  your  lordship 
refers  ? " 

"  Yes.  But  I  doubt  if  there  be  a  word  of  truth  in 
it.  Two  years  ago  the  king  coquetted  somewhat 
with  the  German  princess  you  wot  of,  but  it  amounted 
to  nothing.  I  believe  not  that  he  cares  for  marriage 
at  his  age.  Its  coming  up  again  now  is  but  a  straw 
to  show  the  way  o'  the  wind,  that's  all." 

Sir  Francis  lowered  his  voice  still  more.     "  There 


196  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

are  those  —  and  their  name  is  many,  if  not  legion  — 
who  assert  that  his  Majesty  would  marry,  or  adopt 
the  young  Prince  of  Wales,  or  do  any  other  improb 
able  thing,  if  so  he  could  divert  the  succession  from 
her  Royal  Highness  yonder.  'Tis  even  said  he  will 
use  every  endeavor  —  if  other  schemes  fail  —  to 
place  either  the  Electress  Sophia  or  her  son  George 
of  Hanover  on  the  throne  as  his  immediate  successor, 
in  spite  of  Parliament  or  people." 

The  older  man  played  with  the  crimson  tassel  of 
the  cushion  against  which  he  leaned  for  a  full  minute 
before  he  answered,  in  the  same  low  tone :  "  His 
Majesty  will  not  succeed.  I  am  no  politician,  as  you 
well  know  ;  neither  do  I  pose  as  a  statesman.  But 
I  can  read  the  signs  of  the  times  as  well  as  another 
man.  The  Princess  Anne  is  loved  by  the  people. 
Moreover,  I  know  the  noble  Electress  Sophia  well. 
She  will  stoop  to  no  base  intrigue,  and  she  is  loyal  to 
the  House  of  Stuart,  at  least  in  so  far  as  this.  She 
maintains  that  before  the  lapse  of  the  crown  even  to 
herself,  or  to  her  son,  the  young  son  of  James  II.  has 
the  right  as  a  free  agent  to  make  his  own  choice,  — 
to  choose  for  himself  whether  he  will  renounce  his 
Catholicism  or  his  kingdom.  But  the  chance  will 
not  be  offered  him.  Take  my  word  for  it,  Sir 
Francis,  her  Royal  Highness  is  predestined  queen  of 
this  realm." 

"Yet  'tis  said   she  is  herself   in  communication 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  197 

with  the  late  king,  her  father ;  and  that,  as  is  but 
natural,  now  that  she  has  no  direct  heir,  she  has 
stronger  leanings  towards  her  nearest  of  kin,  than 
towards  her  far-off  cousins  of  Hanover.  What  think 
you  of  that,  my  lord  ?  " 

"  That  her  Royal  Highness  is  ever  strongly  moved 
by  the  influence  of  the  moment.  Just  now,  when  her 
heart  is  torn  by  the  death  of  her  son,  it  turns,  no 
doubt,  to  her  father.  But  it  will  not  last.  You  will 
see,  my  friend ;  you  will  see.  Prince  George  is  a 
greater  power  than  men  think,  and  he  has  unbounded 
influence  with  his  wife.  As  he  thinks,  so  thinks  she, 
in  the  long  run.  He  makes  no  show  of  his  reli 
gion,  and  raises  no  war-cry  of  Protestantism.  Yet 
he  is  a  stern,  uncompromising  Protestant.  Neither 
does  he  yet  despair  of  having  a  child  of  his  own 
to  inherit  the  crown.  He  will  not  encourage  the 
princess  in  any  leaning  towards  her  brother.  Mark 
that !  " 

"  'Tis  a  pretty  boy,"  said  Sir  Francis,  with  a  sigh. 
"  Now  that  our  little  duke  hath  gone,  I  feel  like  cry 
ing  with  the  Moor,  <  Oh,  the  pity  of  it,  lago ! '  A  pretty 
boy,  and  a  princely  ;  generous  and  kindly  withal,  emp 
tying  his  little  purse  unprompted  at  any  cry  of  distress. 
Heigh-ho  !  'Tis  a  queer  world  this  !  Shall  we  go  up 
yonder  and  make  our  adieux,  my  lord  ?  I  see  the 
game  is  ended." 

Whether  the  impulse  of   affection   that   led  the 


198  IN  KINGS1  HOUSES. 

Princess  Anne  to  reopen  communication  with  her 
father  would  have  been  short-lived  or  no,  it  is  not 
for  us  to  say.  Fate  settled  that  question  in  so  far  as 
the  king  himself  was  concerned.  He  died  in  less 
than  six  months,  sending  from  his  death-bed  his  for 
giveness  and  blessing  to  his  daughter,  and  charging 
her  to  make  reparation  for  the  cruel  wrong  done  her 
brother. 

When  the  news  reached  London,  public  curiosity 
was  greatly  excited.  What  notice  would  his  Majesty, 
King  William,  take  of  the  event  ?  How  would  the 
princess  carry  herself  ?  Would  she  wear  weeds  ? 
Would  the  court  go  into  mourning  ? 

These  questions  and  their  like  were  on  all  tongues. 
It  is  a  queer  commentary  on  royal  political  squabbles, 
that  William  not  only  wrapped  himself  in  sable  in 
token  of  his  great  grief  at  the  loss  of  the  uncle  and 
father-in-law  he  had  driven  from  the  throne,  but  clad 
his  footmen  and  his  coaches  in  the  same  sombre 
hue. 

As  for  Anne,  —  she  might  have  been  Cordelia 
herself.  St.  James's  was  hung  with  black.  At 
church  and  chapel  the  princess  appeared  in  all  the 
paraphernalia  of  deepest  woe.  The  court,  though 
not  expressly  ordered  to  do  so,  quickly  followed  the 
royal  example,  and  all  England  mourned  in  sackcloth 
and  ashes  for  its  deposed  monarch,  James  II. 

Events  moved  rapidly.     Six  months  passed ;  and 


IN  ICINGS'   HOUSES.  199 

then  the  stumbling  of  a  pony  in  Ranger's  Park 
brought  on  the  fatal  illness  of  William  III.  On  the 
28th  of  February,  1702,  in  a  message  to  Parliament 
urging  expedition  in  the  passage  of  a  bill  for  the 
attainder  of  young  James  Stuart,  he  alludes  to  the 
mishap  that  had  befallen  himself  in  the  breaking  of 
his  collar-bone.  Early  in  March  he  was  seized  with 
cramps,  and  danger  became  imminent.  Anne  sent 
a  kindly  message  entreating  permission  to  visit  him. 
A  short,  peremptory  "  No  !  "  was  the  only  answer 
vouchsafed  by  the  dying  King.  In  a  day  or  two  he 
breathed  his  last. 

"  Ah,  then  and  there  was  hurrying  to  and  fro !  " 
Ecclesiastics  and  courtiers  ran  mad  races  with  each 
other  from  that  death-bed,  in  their  strife  to  be  the 
first  to  carry  the  news  to  Anne.  It  was  a  dazzlingly 
bright  Sunday  morning.  Bells  clanged  from  all  the 
steeples,  calling  to  morning  prayer,  but  clanged 
in  vain.  Whig  and  Tory,  Jacobite  and  Republican, 
alike  rushed  to  the  presence-chamber  at  St.  James's, 
to  do  homage  to  her  Majesty,  Queen  Anne. 

There  were,  in  fact,  very  many  in  the  kingdom, 
who,  while  they  had  been  strong  partisans  of  James 
during  his  lifetime,  now  felt  that  the  only  hope  of 
the  country  lay  in  the  peaceful  succession  of  his 
daughter.  There  were  others  who,  like  her  uncle, 
Lord  Clarendon,  sought  her  presence  in  the  vain 
hope  of  persuading  her  to  remember  and  obey  her 


2OO  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

father's  dying  injunction  as  to  his  son,  her  brother. 
There  were  those  who  had  avoided  her  levees  for 
months,  while  waiting  the  turn  of  the  tide,  who  now 
shouted  themselves  hoarse  with  cries  of  "  God  save 
Queen  Anne ! " 

Both  houses  of  Parliament  met,  Sunday  or  no  Sun 
day,  and  after  the  due  speech-making  was  over,  went 
to  St.  James's  with  addresses  of  congratulation. 
Anne's  chief  accomplishments  were  her  knack  at 
writing  pretty  little  notes  and  making  graceful  little 
speeches.  My  lords  were  charmed  with  her  grace 
and  dignity.  She  had  a  certain  sweetness  of  voice 
that  was  remarkable  even  in  her  childhood,  and  she 
had  been  well  trained  in  the  use  of  it.  All  through 
her  life  she  retained  the  power  of  swaying  an  audi 
ence  by  this  subtile  charm  of  voice  and  manner, 
which  often  stood  her  in  good  stead  where  brilliant 
intellect  and  rare  wit  might  have  failed  her. 

But  notwithstanding  this  almost  unseemly  haste 
to  greet  her,  the  new  Queen  was  not  crowned  till 
April.  Then  in  the  glorious  abbey,  with  magnifi 
cent  array  of  velvet  and  ermine  and  jewels,  with  all 
stately  ceremonies,  splendor  of  ritual,  organ  thunders 
and  rolling  music,  the  crown  was  placed  upon  her 
brow,  and  the  coronation  ring  upon  her  finger,  wed 
ding  her  to  her  people.  She  was  girt  with  the  sword 
of  St.  Edward,  the  vows  were  taken,  the  blessing 
given,  —  and  Anne  Stuart  was  Queen  of  England. 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES.  2OI 

She  was  now  thirty-seven,  in  the  very  midsummer 
of  her  womanhood.  Too  large  in  person,  she  yet 
retained  much  of  the  simple  beauty  of  her  girlhood, 
her  fresh  English  coloring,  her  wealth  of  softly  curl 
ing  hair,  —  brown,  with  a  glint  of  gold  in  it,  —  and 
the  perfectly  moulded  hands  and  arms,  that  were 
said  to  be  the  most  beautiful  in  all  Europe.  The 
people  loved  her,  —  all  the  more,  perhaps,  because 
she  was  neither  learned  nor  brilliant,  but  merely  a 
simple,  kindly  woman  whom  they  could  understand. 
So  they  greeted  her  with  loud  acclaims,  rejoicing 
that  the  sun  shone  on  her  coronation  day ;  and 
regarding  it,  after  the  literally  stormy  weather  of  the 
preceding  reign,  as  a  favorable  augury  for  which  it 
was  meet  to  thank  God  and  take  heart  of  grace. 
They  called  her  then,  as  they  called  her  always, 
"  Our  good  Queen  Anne." 

Perhaps  it  was  due  to  this  kindly,  unaffected 
nature  of  hers  that  a  little  group  from  Windsor 
might  have  been  seen  that  day  in  the  abbey,  if  one 
had  happened  to  look  closely  in  a  somewhat  unusual 
place.  High  up  in  the  triforium,  half  hidden  behind 
one  of  the  clustered  columns  overlooking  the  stalls 
in  the  choir,  were  three  people  looking  eagerly  down 
on  the  surging  pageant  below.  Mistress  Randee 
was  there  in  her  very  best  gown  of  crimson  padusoy, 
with  a  black  mantle  over  it,  and  Dame  Dorothy 
Sandys  in  the  purple  petticoat  and  gray  cloak  she 


202  IN  ICINGS'  HOUSES. 

always  wore  on  grand  occasions.  Behind  them 
stood  Robin,  a  tall,  handsome  stripling  with  dark 
hair  and  eyes,  and  cheeks  browned  by  sun  and  wind. 

"  Lady  Anne  Gascoyne  must  be  somewhere  down 
there,"  quoth  Mistress  Randee.  "  I  wish  we  could 
but  get  a  glimpse  of  her.  Oh,  no,  not  with  the 
great  folks  in  the  procession !  "  —  this  was  said  in 
answer  to  a  remark  of  Dame  Dorothy's.  "  She  is 
too  young  for  that,  and  her  Majesty  doth  not  believe 
in  putting  her  forward.  But,  nathless,  I  make  no 
doubt  she  is  here  somewhere,  if  we  could  but  get 
our  eyes  on  her." 

"  I  see  her,"  said  Robin,  his  face  set  gravely,  but 
his  color  deepening.  "  She  is  in  the  south  aisle, 
leaning  against  the  third  column.  Look,  granny! 
Canst  thou  not  see  her  ? " 

The  old  woman  peered  down  vainly,  and  so  did 
Mistress  Randee.  "  Nay !  "  exclaimed  the  latter, 
drawing  back  impatiently,  "  I  see  her  not,  nor  do  I 
believe  you  do.  Who  should  know  her  in  this  crowd 
if  I  do  not  ? "  she  continued,  bridling,  "  I,  who  have 
had  charge  of  her  many  and  many  a  time ! " 

"  But  I  tell  you  she  is  down  there,  and  I  see  her," 
repeated  Robin.  "  Look  again  !  There,  —  close  by 
the  third  column.  She  wears  a  petticoat  of  some 
rose-colored  stuff,  with  a  white  mantle  looped  over  it. 
Look !  She  is  bending  forward  at  this  minute." 

"  'Tis  she  herself,  truly !  "  cried  Mistress  Randee, 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES.  2O3 

recovering  her  good  temper.  "  Tis  no  wonder  I  did 
not  know  her  in  that  pink  brocade,  —  she  who  would 
wear  nothing  but  black  and  white.  Methinks  her 
Majesty  hath  bade  her  put  away  her  little  whimseys  ! 
'  Stuff ! '  Robin,  thou  hast  an  eye  for  the  points  of  a 
lady's  costume,  no  doubt, — but  that  petticoat  is  of 
rare  substance,  and  your  '  mantle '  is  no  mantle,  but 
a  full  gown  of  white  taffeta,  worked  with  silver." 

"  And  look  thou  !  "  said  the  elder  woman.  "  She 
hath  a  silver  arrow  to  match  it  in  her  hair.  Robin, 
at  this  distance  'tis  much  like  the  one  you  won  at  the 
archery  games." 

"  Aye,  'tis  somewhat  like  it,"  he  answered ;  and 
presently  there  was  a  shifting  of  the  scenes,  like  the 
dissolving  colors  of  the  kaleidoscope.  Little  Lady 
with  her  rose-colored  petticoat  and  her  silver  arrow 
was  lost  in  the  vast  throng  making  its  way  to  the 
great  west  door. 

Early  in  June  the  Queen  removed  to  Windsor.  It 
was  her  first  visit,  save  for  a  day's  hunting  now  and 
then,  since  the  death  of  Gloster.  No  doubt  her  new 
royalty,  with  all  its  unaccustomed  splendors  and 
responsibilities,  deadened  somewhat  her  sense  of  loss. 
Yet  she  was  a  woman,  a  childless  mother,  she  who 
had  so  gloried  in  her  son.  Her  heart  must  have 
ached  under  its  purple  and  fine  linen. 

It  gave  her  great  pleasure  that  many  noblemen 
who  had  steadfastly  refused  to  visit  the  court  of 


2O4  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

William  and  Mary,  or  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance 
to  them,  had  come  to  do  her  homage  as  the  days 
went  by.  One  of  these  was  Lord  Weymouth  of 
Longleat.  An  honored  guest  at  Windsor,  he  sat  in 
the  Queen's  chamber  one  morning  right  glad,  it  may 
well  be  believed,  to  feel  himself  once  more  at  peace 
with  the  powers  above  him. 

The  two  were  alone,  save  for  two  or  three  silent 
figures  at  the  other  end  of  the  long  room,  quite  out 
of  hearing.  The  Queen  and  her  new  adherent  had 
also  been  silent  for  some  minutes,  Anne  apparently 
pondering  some  question  of  absorbing  interest.  At 
length  she  looked  up  with  a  smile. 

"My  lord?" 

"Your  Majesty." 

"  I  have  a  favor  to  ask  of  you  in  honor  of  our  new 
compact.  Will  you  grant  it  ? " 

It  is,  perhaps,  not  strange  that  Lord  Weymouth 
should  have  hesitated  for  a  barely  perceptible  instant. 
One  never  knew  in  those  troublous  days  what  might 
not  be  required  of  one.  Then  he  said,  quietly  : 

"Your  Majesty's  new  liege  will  do  whatever  is 
asked  of  him  that  is  not  at  odds  with  his  own  honor. 
Command  me,  madam." 

"Nay,  nay,  my  Lord  Weymouth,  take  it  not  so 
seriously,"  said  Anne,  laughing.  "  You  are  all  won 
drous  sensitive  about  your  honor !  Think  you  I  do 
not  know  that  song  of  one  Lovelace,  '  I  could  not 


IN  ICINGS1   HOUSES. 

love  thee,  dear,  so  much,  loved  I  not  honor  more?' 
Never  fear  aught  I  shall  ask  of  you !  But,  seriously 
on  my  own  part,  it  is  because  I  trust  your  honor  and 
have  faith  in  it,  that  I  would  have  you  do  me  a 
favor." 

"Which  is  granted  before  it  is  named,"  was 
Wey mouth's  answer,  as,  rising,  he  drew  nearer  to  the 
Queen,  and  bent  his  knee  in  graceful,  courtier-like 
fashion.  "Your  Majesty  has  but  to  speak,  and  it  is 
done." 

"Then  be  seated  again,  my  lord,  and  let  me  lay 
the  matter  before  you.  Have  you  room  in  your 
household  for  a  young  lad  whose  advancement  I 
have  at  heart  ? " 

"  Room  can  be  made,  if  it  be  your  Majesty's  wish, 
whether  it  be  there  already,  or  no.  I  will  do  it  right 
gladly,  madam.  Do  I  know  the  lad  ? " 

"  You  have  never  seen  him,  my  lord.  His  name 
is  Robin  Sandys.  He  is  grandson  of  an  old  nurse  of 
mine,  —  a  faithful,  loyal  heart,  and  a  woman  of  rare 
character.  This  lad  was  much  with  my  son  for  some 
years.  He  was  his  favorite  companion  in  his  studies 
and  his  sports,  and  was  greatly  loved  by  him.  For 
this  reason,  as  well  as  for  his  own  sake,  I  would  place 
him  in  your  charge  that  he  may  have  proper  training 
in  all  that  is  befitting.  When  he  is  older,  I  shall 
take  him  to  my  own  service.  But  he  is  young  for 
court  life  as  yet." 


2O6  IN  KINGS1   HOUSES. 

"  He  was  one  of  the  Duke  of  Gloster's  '  men,' 
your  Majesty?" 

They  both  smiled.  "  Yes.  He  held  high  rank  in 
that  small  army,  I  believe.  The  lad  does  well  what 
ever  is  required  of  him,  my  lord.  He  will  not  shame 
you." 

Lord  Weymouth  looked  up  suddenly.  "Your 
Majesty,  I  had  quite  forgotten  the  circumstance. 
But  this  must  be  the  lad  of  whom  my  dear  friend, 
the  former  bishop  of  Bath  and  Wells,  spoke  to  me 
after  his  return  from  Windsor.  Your  Majesty  may 
remember  that  he  came  hither  to  offer  condolence  on 
the  occasion  of  that  death  for  which  all  England 
mourned.  He  found  a  young  boy  grieving  at  the 
duke's  bier,  and  had  some  talk  with  him." 

"It  must  have  been  he,"  said  Anne,  with  a  long 
sigh.  "  '  Condolence  ! '  Yes,  the  good  bishop  did 
not  forget  me  in  my  sorrow.  But  he  comes  not  now 
to  offer  his  allegiance.  I  would  he  were  not  so 
obdurate  and  wrong-headed.  Can  you  not  persuade 
him  to  better  manners,  my  lord  ?  I  like  not  that 
conforming  dissenter  to  whom  my  sister  gave  Doc 
tor  Ken's  bishopric.  And  I  am  told  that  while  he 
holds  the  see  with  all  its  benefits,  Doctor  Ken  does 
all  the  work." 

"  Which  may  not  be  wholly  Bishop  Kidder's  fault, 
your  Majesty,"  said  Lord  Weymouth.  "As  for  the 
work,  —  the  people  will  have  it  so.  The  see  is  Doc- 


IN  KINGS1   HOUSES.  2O/ 

tor  Ken's  spiritually,  though  he  is  deprived  of  its  tem 
poral  dignities.  He  and  his  old  white  horse,  almost 
as  infirm  as  he,  are  well  known  in  all  the  hills  and 
dales  of  Somerset.  Your  Majesty's  kind  heart  would 
ache,  if  it  could  but  know  all  this  good  man  suffers 
from  illness  and  poverty." 

"  But  it  need  not  be !  It  need  not  be ! "  cried 
Anne.  "  If  the  proud,  wilful  man  will  but  take  the 
oath  of  allegiance,  he  may  have  Bath  and  Wells  back 
again  before  he  sleeps.  It  is  easy  enough  to  manage 
Kidder.  He  shall  have  Carlisle.  Oh,  my  lord,  I 
have  loved  the  good  bishop  ever  since  I  was  a  young 
maiden  at  my  sister's  court  in  Holland.  I  would 
fain  have  been  crowned  at  his  hands.  Why  will  he 
not  be  reasonable  ? " 

Lord  Weymouth  was  silent  for  a  moment,  looking 
thoughtfully  downward. 

"  Then,  —  have  I  your  Majesty's  permission  to 
speak  plainly  in  behalf  of  my  friend  ? "  he  said.  "  I 
am  an  old  man,  and  if  I  speak  at  all,  I  cannot  mince 
my  words." 

"  Say  your  say,  my  lord.  I  can  forgive  anything 
but  treason,  —  which  I  do  not  fear  from  you." 

"Your  Majesty  need  not,"  he  answered,  quietly. 
"  As  I  am  permitted  to  speak,  I  will  tell  the  story  as 
I  understand  it,  —  I,  who  know  the  man  so  well. 
Thomas  Ken  refused  to  read  the  Declaration  of 
Indulgence  to  please  James  II.,  because  he  saw  in  it 


208  IN  KINGS1   HOUSES. 

peril  to  both  Church  and  State.  For  that  contumacy 
he  was  sent  to  the  Tower.  Yet  when  James  was 
dethroned,  he  refused  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance 
to  his  successors.  And  why  ?  Your  pardon,  my 
Queen.  Shall  I  go  on  with  the  story  ? " 

"  Yes,  yes,"  she  said.  "  Tell  me  why  the  man  is 
so  obstinate.  And  for  the  nonce,  I  pray  you  drop 
'your  Majesty'  and  all  that,  and  speak  to  me  as  man 
to  woman.  Go  on,  my  lord." 

"  I  thank  you,  madam.  My  friend  had  been  sent  to 
the  Tower  by  James.  But  what  had  that  to  do  with 
the  oath  of  allegiance  by  which  he  had  sworn  fealty 
to  him  and  his  throne  forever  ?  It  did  not  absolve 
him.  He  could  not  take,  —  mark  me,  I  say  he  could 
not,  —  I  speak  now  for  no  other  man,  but  from  the 
standpoint  of  Thomas  Ken's  conscience,  —  he  could 
not  take  the  oath  to  William  and  Mary  while  your 
honored  father  was  living.  The  fact  that  he  was  in 
involuntary  exile  did  not  alter  the  matter.  He  was 
still,  in  Ken's  eyes,  the  King,  and  so  entitled  to  his 
fealty." 

"  But  he  is  not  living  now,"  cried  Anne,  "  yet  the 
obstinate  man  will  not  swear  troth  to  me.  Explain 
that,  if  you  can  !  " 

"  Easily,  madam,  if  I  may.  His  old  master,  James 
II.,  is  indeed  dead.  But  that  master  has  a  son. 
The  oath  of  allegiance  to  your  Majesty  is  preceded 
by  the  oath  of  abjuration  which  deprives  that  son  — 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES.  2OQ 

your  brother  —  of  his  every  right  to  throne,  title, 
and  estate ;  and,  so  Ken  thinks,  repeats  the  verdict 
of  illegitimacy  that  has  been  so  thoroughly  disproven. 
For  myself  I  see  the  matter  differently,  thank  God ! 
and  have  been  able  to  take  every  oath  required  right 
gladly  from  a  loyal  heart.  He  knows  this  and  re 
joices,  for  he  loves  your  Majesty.  But  with  all  my 
heart  do  I  honor  Thomas  Ken  for  that  he  is  what  he 
is,  a  true  and  stainless  man  who  will  not  turn  a  hair's 
breadth  from  what  he  believes  to  be  right,  though  the 
heavens  fall  and  crush  him." 

"  Enough,  enough,  my  lord,"  said  Anne,  half  mol 
lified,  half  angry.  "You  have  indeed  used  plain 
speech,  but  as  I  gave  you  full  leave,  I  cannot  retract 
now.  Nathless,  I  may  not  do  away  with  test  oaths 
and  abjurations  for  the  sake  of  any  obstinate  old  man 
in  Christendom.  I  would  he  were  not  so  set,  but  he 
must  needs  go  his  own  gait." 

His  lordship  made  a  deep  reverence.  "  I  beg  your 
Majesty  to  remember  I  spoke  only  from  Thomas 
Ken's  standpoint.  I,  too,  wish  from  my  heart  he 
could  accept  present  conditions  as  I,  and  so  many 
others  who  loved  your  Majesty's  honored  father,  are 
content  to  do.  But,  —  we  are  not  all  cast  in  the 
same  mould,  madam." 

"  Well,  well !  He  would  always  have  his  own  way. 
You  remember  how  he  refused  to  give  shelter  to 
Mistress  Nelly  Gwyn,  and  all  the  pother  he  made 


210  IN  KINGS1  HOUSES. 

when  my  uncle  Charles  brought  her  to  Winchester  ? 
But  no  more  of  this.  My  lord,  when  go  you  to 
Longleat  ? " 

"  To-morrow,  if  it  please  your  Majesty.  Or  later, 
if  such  be  your  will." 

"  Pray  let  it  be  the  day  thereafter,  if  it  will  not  put 
you  to  inconvenience,"  said  the  Queen.  "  But  now  of 
the  lad.  I  will  command  his  attendance  at  once. 
Ho,  Margery !  " 

She  gave  an  order  to  one  of  her  women.  Then 
waving  her  hand  in  token  of  dismissal,  she  continued, 
"Adieu,  my  lord,  for  the  present.  The  lad  will 
be  here  in  two  hours'  time,  —  that  is,  if  he  be  not  off 
scouring  the  country  on  his  good  mare,  Fanuella." 

"  He  rides,  then,  your  Majesty  ?  " 

"  So  well  that  horse  and  rider  are  one.  Again 
adieu,  my  lord." 

Dame  Dorothy's  cottage  was  in  a  tremor  of  sup 
pressed  excitement  that  night.  One  might  have 
fancied  the  very  rafters  shook  and  the  walls  trem 
bled,  as  they  surely  would  if  ever  inanimate  obj  ects 
thrilled  in  unison  with  human  emotions.  There 
was  an  added  dignity  in  Dorothy's  bearing,  as 
she  gave  Betty  minute  directions  as  to  the  clear 
starching  and  fluting  of  Master  Robin's  ruffles. 
For  was  he  not  to  ride  Fanuella  on  the  next  day  but 
one,  in  the  train  of  my  Lord  of  Weymouth  ? 

This  same  cottage  has  changed,  somewhat,  in  the 


IN  KINGS1   HOUSES.  211 

years  that  have  passed  since  we  first  saw  it.  An 
other  room  has  been  added  at  the  left,  with  a  small 
bay  window  looking  towards  the  sunset.  There  is  a 
rug  on  the  stone  floor.  There  are  some  low  book 
shelves  on  one  side  the  bay,  and  a  chest  of  drawers 
with  brass  handles  on  the  other  ;  and  opposite  is 
a  brick  fireplace,  with  curious  black  fire-dogs,  and  a 
table  and  chair  near  it.  There  are  chintz  curtains  at 
the  window  ;  and  on  the  north  is  an  alcove  similarly 
curtained,  with  a  narrow  bed  in  it.  These  changes 
and  furnishings  have  been  achieved  so  slowly  that 
they  have  hardly  been  noted ;  and  the  vines  that 
veiled  the  old  building  have  taken  the  new  part  in 
their  embrace.  It  is  the  same  low,  unpretentious 
cottage,  gray  without,  and  grown  a  trifle  broader  and 
more  roomy.  That  is  all. 

This  room  is  Master  Robin's  own.  Here  are  cen 
tred  all  his  most  prized  belongings,  —  his  books, 
which  are  by  no  means  so  numerous  as  Dame  Doro 
thy  thinks  them,  his  bows  and  arrows  and  fishing 
tackle,  and  that  rare  and  precious  thing,  a  gun. 
Truth  to  tell,  though  Fanuella  is  not  present  in  per 
son,  yet  is  she  well  represented.  On  a  hook  over 
the  high  mantel -shelf  hangs  her  saddle,  with  a  riding- 
whip  dangling  hard  by. 

That  night  Dame  Dorothy  came  to  him  as  he  sat 
by  the  low  fire,  after  Betty  had  gone  to  bed  and 
the  house  was  still.  His  eyes  were  brooding  and 


212  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

thoughtful,  and  he  did  not  speak  as  he  put  out  his 
hand  and  clasped  a  fold  of  her  gown.  She  stooped 
and  kissed  him. 

"  So  !  Thou  art  to  fly  abroad  and  see  the  world,  art 
thou  ?  Trying  thy  wings  while  I  stay  here  in  the  old 
nest  and  keep  watch  for  thee,"  she  said,  drawing  a 
chair  to  his  side.  "  Tell  me  about  it,  laddie.  What 
said  the  good  Lord  of  Weymouth  ?  Could  I  have 
had  my  pick  of  all  the  noblemen  in  England,  I 
would  have  chosen  him  for  thy  patron  and  master. 
What  said  he  ?  Was  he  gracious  to  thee  ? " 

"  Aye,  gracious  enough.  And  yet  hardly  that, 
either.  Why  should  he  be  ?  He  does  not  know  me. 
He  did  but  say  that  it  was  the  Queen's  will  I  should 
be  of  his  household  for  a  time,  and  that  she  assured 
him  he  would  find  me  dutiful  and  well  mannered. 
He  seems  grave  and  stately,  yet  gentle  withal." 

"  And  her  Majesty,  —  what  said  she  ?  " 

"That  I  was  to  do  Lord  Weymouth's  bidding  in 
all  things,  even  as  I  would  do  hers  when  in  her  ser 
vice.  Then  she  bade  me  show  my  lord  the  likeness 
of  Gloster  I  wore  about  my  neck ;  but  when  she 
saw  it,  she  gave  an  exceedingly  bitter  cry.  I  turned 
my  eyes  away,  that  I  might  not  see  her  face." 

"  And  what  else  ? " 

"  Little  save  that  she  bade  me  remember  I  had 
been  Gloster's  friend,  and  to  so  bear  myself  as  to  do 
him  honor.  Then  my  lord  spoke  to  me  of  Fanuella, 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  21$ 

asking  if  she  were  fit  to  carry  me  for  the  two  or 
three  days'  journey  to  Longleat.  I  made  answer 
that  she  could  go  like  the  wind  to  the  ends  of  the 
earth  if  need  be,  whereat  he  smiled ;  but  nathless 
Mat  Hansel  is  to  look  her  over  to-morrow  and  see 
if  she  be  in  good  condition.  The  Queen  said  what 
ever  was  needful  would  be  provided  for  me  at  the 
journey's  end,  and  that  you  were  to  take  no  thought 
about  it.  Granny,  tell  me !  What  is  the  life  to 
which  I  am  going?  I  almost  shrink  from  it.  'Tis 
a  great  change." 

"  'Twill  not  be  unlike  the  life  you  have  seen  at  the 
castle,  save  that  you  are  older  and  will  be  more  a  part 
of  it.  Never  fear !  'Tis  what  I  have  always  craved 
for  you,  laddie.  You  are  to  look  forward  and  not 
backward.  The  Queen  —  God  bless  her !  —  has  kept 
her  promise  to  the  duke,  and  all  is  well.  In  two  or 
three  years'  time  you  will  come  back  to  me,  a  brave 
and  gallant  gentleman,  my  Robin." 

But  the  lad's  eyes  roved  tenderly  about  the  tran 
quil  room  that  seemed,  in  the  flickering  firelight,  a 
very  haven  of  peace.  He  had  often  chafed  under 
the  bonds  of  that  very  quietude.  He  had  longed, 
ever  since  Gloster  died,  for  a  larger  life,  a  wider 
world.  Now  that  the  door  of  his  cage  was  opened, 
he  shrank  from  freedom.  It  is  a  common  expe 
rience. 

They  talked  late  that  night,  —  talked  as  mother 


214  IN  DINGS'   HOUSES. 

and  son  talk  in  their  hours  of  closest,  tenderest 
communion.  It  mattered  not  that  the  lad  had 
learned  from  books  much  of  which  the  woman  had 
never  dreamed ;  that  names,  and  things,  aye,  and 
thoughts,  were  familiar  to  him  of  which  she  had  abso 
lutely  no  knowledge.  It  is  character,  not  attainment, 
that  tells  in  all  the  crises  of  life.  She  had  lived ;  he 
had  only  dreamed.  They  met  on  the  same  plane. 

The  next  day  was  a  busy  one,  crowded  with  the 
bustle  of  preparation.  And  at  dawn  of  the  following 
morning,  Robin  and  Fanuella  joined  the  train  that 
wound  slowly  through  the  woods  and  lanes  of  Wind 
sor,  on  their  way  to  the  great  thoroughfare  that  led 
to  Somersetshire. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

IT  was  four  o'clock  on  a  Sunday  afternoon,  —  the 
Sunday  after  Robin's  departure.  Mat  Hansel  leaned 
against  the  door-post  of  the  gray  cottage,  twirling 
between  his  fingers  a  gray-green  sprig  of  rosemary 
he  had  plucked  as  he  came  through  the  small  garden. 
The  pungent  odor  of  the  crushed  leaves  filled  the 
room. 

Dame  Dorothy,  in  fresh  white  cap  and  kerchief, 
was  shelling  peas  for  supper.  They  were  talking  of 
Robin,  as  was  but  natural. 

"He  hath  had  fine  weather  for  the  journey,  God 
be  praised,"  said  Mat.  "  Neither  too  hot,  nor  too 
cold,  and  not  a  cloud  in  the  sky  these  three  days. 
I'll  warrant  me  that  little  mare  Fanuella  hath  carried 
him  well.  There  was  naught  in  my  lord's  train 
could  hold  a  candle  to  her,  if  I  do  say  it.  That 
black  stallion  his  lordship  rode  hath  something 
wrong  in  the  near  hind  leg,  and  is  too  heavy  for 
a  long  pull,  moreover.  And  as  for  the  other  horses, 
—  well,  —  I  say  nothing.  It's  not  my  affair,  I  thank 
the  good  Lord  !  " 

215 


2l6  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

Dame  Dorothy  laughed.  "  You  men  who  have 
dealings  with  four-footed  beasts  do  always  be  brag 
ging  about  your  own,  and  decrying  those  of  others," 
she  said.  "  But  no  doubt  Fanuella  played  her  part 
well.  She's  a  good  creature  and  a  dainty,  lifting  her 
feet  as  if  the  ground  were  not  good  enough  for  her 
tread,  yet  fond  of  petting  as  any  baby.  She  was 
always  begging  me  for  barley  sugar." 

"Yet  she  is  high-spirited,  withal,"  quoth  Mat. 
"  He  had  best  not  try  to  mount  her  who  hath  not 
the  reins  well  in  hand.  And  she  hath  good  sense, 
too,  —  not  a  bad  thing  in  man  or  beast.  Good  even 
to  you,  Mistress  Betty." 

For  just  here  Betty  came  in  for  the  peas,  which 
were  surrendered  to  her  with  a  caution  as  to  the 
cooking  thereof. 

"  Be  thou  sure  the  water  boils  when  they  are  put 
in  the  pot,"  said  Dorothy.  "  Else  you  can  spoil  the 
best  peas  that  ever  grew.  And  put  in  no  mint,  my 
lass.  I  can't  abide  it." 

Betty  was  about  to  vanish  with  the  pan,  throwing 
a  laughing  glance  at  Mat,  for  she  had  received  that 
same  caution  about  the  peas  ever  since  she  could 
remember,  when  he  stepped  forward,  tossing  away 
his  sprig  of  rosemary. 

"  By  your  leave,  Dame  Sandys,  but  can  Mistress 
Betty  be  spared  to  go  with  me  to  even-song  in  the 
chapel,  —  if  she  will?" 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  21  / 

"  Aye,  if  you  will  bring  her  back  in  due  season. 
A  good  lass  keeps  early  hours.  But,  —  '  Mistress 
Betty,'  forsooth  !  Thou  art  over  particular,  Master 
Hansel.  Betty  is  but  a  child." 

He  looked  from  one  to  the  other,  Betty  standing 
meanwhile  with  downcast  eyes,  holding  her  pan  of 
peas  dangerously  aslant. 

"A  well-grown  one,"  he  said,  stooping  to  pick  up 
half  a  dozen  green  globules  that  had  rolled  to  his 
feet.  "  A  very  well-grown  child.  She  is  taller  than 
thou  art,  Dame  Dorothy,  and  comes  well  up  to  my 
shoulder.  Wilt  thou  go  to  even-song,  lass  ?  " 

Betty  nodded  assent,  and  ran  off,  while  her  mis 
tress  made  Master  Hansel  understand  that  he  was  to 
return  after  service  and  share  the  peas. 

"  Leave  them  on  the  dresser,  Betty,"  she  called 
after  her.  "  I  will  put  them  over  the  fire  myself 
when  it  is  time." 

Even-song  was  over,  and  Betty  and  her  cavalier 
were  slowly  straying  homeward,  down  the  long  for 
est  path.  "  It  is  early  yet,"  said  Mat.  "  See  !  the 
sun  is  not  down  and  will  not  be  for  an  hour.  Sit 
here  on  this  tree-trunk  beside  me,  lass.  I  have 
somewhat  to  say  to  thee." 

He  was  graver  than  usual ;  and  after  one  quick 
glance  at  his  face,  Betty  obeyed  him,  without  one  of 
the  gibes  and  flings  with  which  she  was  accustomed 
to  give  spice  to  their  intercourse.  But  for  some 


21 8  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

minutes  they  sat  in  silence,  somewhat  to  Betty's 
discomfiture. 

"  Well,  —  what  hast  thou  to  say  ? "  she  remarked, 
at  last.  "  It  is  not  worth  while  to  sit  here  mooning. 
The  peas  will  be  overdone." 

He  turned  to  her  suddenly,  covering  with  his 
broad,  brown  hand  hers  lying  idly  on  her  knee. 
"  Betty,  —  wilt  thou  marry  me,  my  lass  ?  I  have  not 
asked  thee  plainly  before,  because  I  could  never  get 
thee  to  listen  to  reason.  But  now,  here  goes  !  Wilt 
thou  marry  me  ?  Tell  me,  lass  ? " 

She  sat  beside  him  silently,  her  head  turned 
slightly  away  from  him,  her  cheeks  glowing. 

"  Speak  to  me,  lass,"  he  continued,  placing  his 
hand  on  her  shoulder  with  a  masterful  touch,  and 
compelling  her  to  turn  towards  him.  "Wilt  thou 
marry  me?" 

She  shook  her  head,  but  did  not  draw  away  from 
him. 

"  Why  not  ?  Surely  thou  dost  care  for  me,  Betty  ? 
With  all  thy  flouting  and  jeering,  I  believe  that. 
Dost  thou  not,  my  lass  ?  " 

His  arm  stole  around  her  waist.  She  did  not 
repulse  him.  Betty  was  crying.  Never  was  man 
more  amazed  than  Mat. 

"  Why,  lass  !  why,  Betty !  what  is  ill  with  thee  ? 
Why  dost  thou  cry  ?  I  will  hold  thee  fast  now  that 
for  the  first  time  I  have  my  arms  about  thee,  till 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

them  dost  let  me  see  thy  heart.  Speak,  lass  !  Wilt 
them  not  marry  me  when  the  late  harvest  apples 
are  ripe  ?  I  will  have  a  little  cot  all  ready  for 
thee." 

But  again  she  shook  her  head.  Mat  withdrew  his 
arm.  He  was  not  the  Strephon  to  woo  an  unwilling 
Chloe. 

"  We  are  at  odds,  I  see,"  he  said,  rising.  "  Never 
mind,  lass.  Tis  not  thy  fault.  But  I  must  take 
thee  home  as  I  promised  Dame  Sandys." 

Betty  put  out  her  hand,  "  Nay,  Master  Hansel," 
she  sobbed,  and  he  reseated  himself,  his  face  bright 
ening. 

"  Say  '  Mat ' !  Away  with  your  '  Master  Hansels ' ! 
Say  '  Mat ' !  " 

"  Mat,  then  !     I  —  I  did  not  mean  —  " 

His  arm  stole  back  to  its  old  position,  and  he  drew 
her  head  to  a  resting-place  on  his  shoulder.  "  You 
do  care  for  me,  lass  ? " 

"Yes,  mayhap,  just  a  little,"  she  faltered. 

"That's  enough,  that's  enough  to  begin  with!" 
cried  Mat,  exultantly.  "Never  mind  about  the  'lit 
tle' !  I  will  make  it  much  before  the  year  dies. 
Kiss  me,  lass  !  " 

But  Betty  turned  her  tear-stained  face  away  from 
him,  and  with  a  brave  effort  at  composure  compelled 
herself  to  speak  coherently.  "  Nay,  nay,  I  like  you 
well  enow,  Master  —  well  —  Mat,  if  you  must  have  it 


22O  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

so.  But  I  will  marry  no  man  at  present.  I  will  not 
leave  my  mistress." 

"  Phew !  Phew  !  Thy  mistress  !  Here's  a  coil. 
What  has  she  to  do  with  it,  good  woman  though  she 
be  ?  Art  thou  bond-slave  to  her  ? " 

"  Yes,  in  this  thing.  Hear  me,  Mat  Hansel !  " 
and  she  bent  her  clear,  steadfast  blue  eyes  full  upon 
him.  "I  was  a  bond -slave  to  every  ill  a  little  maid 
might  know  in  cruel  city  streets,  until  she  found  me 
out,  drew  me  forth,  and  called  me  hers.  I  was  in 
rags  and  she  clothed  me.  There  was  none  to  give 
me  bite  of  bread  or  sup  of  water,  and  she  fed  me.  I 
was  beaten  and  ill  bested,  and  she  gave  me  care  and 
watching,  and  almost  a  mother's  love.  I  will  leave 
Dame  Dorothy  for  no  man,  Mat  Hansel,  now  that 
she  is  old  and  needs  care  herself.  Believe  thou  that." 

Mat  was  silent.     He  could  understand  this. 

"Thou  art  a  true-hearted  lass,"  he  said.  "It  shall 
be  as  thou  sayest,  —  for  a  time.  Only,  —  tell  me 
one  thing,  I  do  beseech  thee.  Dost  thou  love  me  ? " 

She  lifted  her  brimming  eyes  to  his  face. 

"  Yes,  Mat,  —  I  love  thee,  —  but  I  will  not  wed 
thee." 

"Not  now.  Say  that,  Betty!  Say  'I  will  not 
wed  thee  now,  Mat.' ' 

She  repeated  the  words  mechanically,  emphasizing 
the  "  now  "  as  he  did. 

"  Then  I  will  wait,"  he  said,  gravely.     "  I  will  wait 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES.  221 

till  thou  canst,  till  thou  wilt,"  and  he  kissed  her,  for 
the  first  time,  as  reverently  as  ever  knight  kissed 
lady's  hand.  "  But  I  cannot  stay  here  in  constant 
sight  of  thee,  my  girl,  with  naught  to  put  thee  out 
of  my  head,  from  dawn  to  dew  fall.  I  must  away. 
It  was  this  I  meant  to  tell  thee,  —  that  if  thou 
couldst  not  wed  me,  I  would  even  ride  with  the 
army  in  Flanders,  or  in  Spain,  where  English  hearts 
are  needed.  When  I  come  back,  thou  wilt  give  me 
another  answer,  mayhap." 

This  announcement  did  not  startle  Betty,  as  it 
might  a  maiden  of  to-day.  War  was  the  normal 
condition  of  things,  peace  the  abnormal.  Men  were 
always  going  off  to  the  wars,  and  for  the  most  part, 
so  it  seemed  to  her,  coming  safely  back  again.  It 
meant  adventure,  prowess,  the  chance  of  advance 
ment,  seeing  the  world.  It  was  wise  for  a  man  to 
test  his  powers,  and  try  his  luck. 

She  put  her  hand  in  his,  after  a  long  silence,  — 
"  Thou  art  very  good  to  me,"  she  said,  quietly ; 
"  and  thou  wilt  be  a  brave  soldier.  When  thou  dost 
come  back,  —  why  then  —  why  then  —  " 

He  caught  up  her  words  — 

"  Why  then  we  shall  see !  But  the  kiss,  lass ! 
Give  me  the  kiss  of  troth  before  I  take  thee  home  to 
the  gray  cottage.  Be  not  so  chary!  I  tell  thee, 
my  girl,  the  touch  of  thy  lips  will  be  a  safeguard 
against  the  wiles  of  the  French  damsels  across 


222  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES, 

the  water,  which,  they  tell  me,  be  many.  Give  it 
me!" 

Her  eyes  flashed  with  somewhat  of  the  old  laugh 
ing  fire,  as  she  lifted  them. 

"Take  it  then,  if  thou  must  have  it,"  she  said. 
"But  I  tell  thee,  Mat  Hansel,  if  thou  dost  need  a 
guard  against  the  wiles  of  other  maidens,  be  they 
French  or  English,  no  touch  of  my  lips  will  save 
thee.  Be  thou  sure  of  that !  " 

They  sauntered  slowly  back  to  the  gray  cottage. 
Dame  Dorothy  saw  nothing,  heard  nothing,  suspected 
nothing.  Why  should  Betty  disturb  her  peace  ? 

So  Mat  Hansel  went  off  to  the  wars. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

IT  was  in  July  that  Robin  Sandys  first  saw  the 
imposing  fagade  of  Longleat  House  lifting  itself 
above  the  wide  reaches  of  level  turf  surrounding  the 
great  gray  pile,  that  was  at  once  a  palace  and  a 
home.  Therein  is  England  blest,  that  she  can  make 
homes  of  cottages  and  palaces  alike.  She  has 
learned  the  art. 

It  is  now  a  brilliant  July  morning  of  the  third 
summer  thereafter.  The  whole  place  is  astir.  The 
great  lawns  are  being  newly  shaven,  swept,  and  gar 
nished,  as  it  were,  till  not  a  withered  leaf  or  a  dry 
twig  mars  the  perfection  of  their  long  reaches  of 
emerald  velvet.  The  wide  gardens  and  shrubberies 
are  ablaze  with  light  and  color.  Gay  parterres  glow 
ing  like  jewels,  and  cool,  shadowy  closes  where  the 
dewy  freshness  of  the  early  day  still  lingers,  alike 
invite  the  wandering  feet.  Every  path  has  been 
freshly  rolled.  The  very  lake  has  been  rejuvenated 
by  the  removal  of  every  yellow  leaf  and  unsightly 
root,  and  the  water-lilies  dotting  its  surface  are  as 
white  as  the  swans  reflected  on  its  bosom. 

Inside  the  noble  mansion,  an  army  of  men  and 
223 


224  IN  KINGS*  HOUSES. 

women  are  striving  to  make  still  fairer  that  which 
was  superlatively  beautiful  before.  Rare  tapestries 
were  being  hung ;  from  antique  chests,  carved,  iron- 
bound,  and  black  with  age,  half-forgotten  treasures 
are  being  exhumed,  —  yellow  laces,  rich  creations  of 
Eastern  looms,  costly  fabrics  and  embroideries,  the 
spoil  of  altar  and  of  shrine.  In  one  suite  of  rooms, 
the  most  magnificent  of  all,  the  ceilings  are  being 
freshly  decorated,  and  on  every  panel  appears  the 
royal  crest,  and  the  A.  R.  of  Anne  Regina. 

For  her  Majesty  is  coming  to  Longleat ! 

Queen  Anne  was  not  so  fond  of  making  royal 
progresses  and  going  a-visiting  as  was  her  great 
predecessor,  Elizabeth.  But  she  did  sometimes  visit 
her  great  nobles. 

This  morning,  in  one  of  the  outer  courts,  near  the 
stables,  a  number  of  young  men  and  lads,  with  two 
or  three  older  men  who  looked  as  if  they  had  seen 
service,  were  turning  over,  and  examining  critically, 
a  pile  of  ancient  armor.  Not  by  any  means  so 
dowered  with  antiquity  in  that  day  as  in  this  of 
ours ;  but  even  then  armor  had  been  falling  into  dis 
use  for  more  than  one  generation,  and  the  younger 
men  were  full  of  curiosity  and  exclamations. 

"  Look  at  that,  now  !  "  cried  one  of  them,  holding 
up  a  great  helmet  of  dull  brass,  with  the  visor  closed. 
"What  think  you  of  that  for  a  head-piece,  Robin 
Sandys?" 


IN  KINGS*  HOUSES.  22$ 

"That  I  would  not  care  to  wear  it  on  a  hot  day 
like  this,"  he  answered,  "nor  that  heavy  breastplate, 
either.  But  see !  It  hath  been  thrust  through  with 
a  spear,  for  all  its  thickness,  and  there  are  blood 
stains  on  it.  Some  brave  man  wore  it  to  his 
death." 

"  Never  mind,  never  mind,  Robbie,"  said  the 
other,  flippantly.  "  There's  no  call  for  a  long  face. 
'Tis  but  what  the  thing  was  made  for.  But  look, 
now !  Here's  a  dainty  bit  of  steel,  —  chain  mail  as 
light  and  flexible  as  a  lady's  necklace.  By'r  lady, 
but  it  takes  on  a  wondrous  fine  polish,  too,"  and  he 
rubbed  it  vigorously  with  his  sleeve.  "What  say 
you,  Martin  Howe  ?  Shall  I  wear  this  when  we  tilt 
before  the  Queen  ? " 

Martin  Howe  was  one  of  the  older  men.  He 
lifted  the  delicate,  tinkling  mass  of  metal,  testing  its 
weight,  before  he  answered  : 

"That's  as  it  pleases  you.  But  I  should  advise 
you  youngsters  to  try  nothing  heavier.  Little  you 
know  of  tilts  and  tournaments.  Woe's  me,  but  the 
times  have  changed  since  I  was  young  !  There's  no 
strength  in  men's  arms,  now  that  musket  and  blun 
derbuss  have  taken  the  place  of  pike  and  broadsword. 
I  remember  well  when  I  was  but  a  small  lad  myself 
how  John  of  Brentford  met  Mark  Winthrop  in  the 
lists,  and  wore  — 

"Ah,  shut  thy  mouth,  Martin  Howe!"  cried  the 


226  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

irreverent  youth,  whose  name  was  Ralph  Montague, 
"we've  heard  that  old  saw  a  thousand  times.  To 
day  was  never  half  as  good  as  yesterday  since  the 
world  was  made,  if  we  take  your  word  for  it.  I  tell 
thee  John  of  Brentford  was  no  braver,  nor  a  whit 
more  knightly,  than  our  good  Lord  of  Weymouth,  if 
he  did  wear  weight  of  armor  fit  to  crush  him.  More 
fool  he,  say  I !  Still,  if  we  are  to  tilt  for  her 
Majesty's  pleasure,  we  must  make  ourselves  as  fine  as 
may  be,  and  I  mean  to  deck  myself  out  in  this  bit  of 
splendor.  Look  now,  Robin.  What  say  you  to  this 
shirt  of  mail  with  pointed  greaves  to  match  it  ?  'Tis 
of  blue  Milan  steel  finely  wrought,  and  seems  lighter 
than  some.  Or  that  fluted  thing  over  yonder,  with 
the  pass  guards  for  the  neck  ?  'Tis  a  pretty  bit  of 
finery.  What  think  you  of  that  ? " 

"'Finery?'  'A  pretty  bit?'  God  save  us!" 
exclaimed  another  of  the  elders.  "  Boy,  dost  thou 
think  life  was  but  a  farce  when  these  were  worn  ? 
God  save  us  from  the  folly  of  youth,  again  say  I ! " 

Robin,  meanwhile,  paying  slight  attention  to  this 
stream  of  words,  had  been  bending  over  the  pile, 
scrutinizing  each  piece  carefully.  He  had  quite  lost 
the  remark  of  the  last  speaker. 

"  That  <  fluted  thing  ? '  Speak  not  so  lightly  of  it, 
Ralph  Montague.  'Tis  the  very  perfection  of  armor, 
such  as  Harry  Richmond  wore  on  Bosworth  field. 
Look!  its  counterpart  is  in  the  armory,  labelled 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES.  22? 

duly.  But  I'll  none  of  it,  —  grand  as  it  is.  'Twould 
weigh  me  down.  I  will  but  take  this  shirt  of  mail 
with  the  pointed  greaves,  and  mayhap  something  for 
a  head-piece.  But  here  comes  Gaffer  Ambrose. 
Give  him  room,  lads,"  he  added,  as  an  aged  man 
approached  with  tottering  footsteps.  "  Here's  a 
high-backed  stool  for  him.  Sit  thee  down,  Gaffer." 

The  man,  who  was  evidently  very  old,  wore  a  long 
brown  surcoat,  reaching  nearly  to  his  feet,  and  a  red 
cap,  not  unlike  a  Turkish  fez,  with  a  long  tassel. 
Giving  a  groan,  he  lowered  himself  slowly  into  the 
seat  offered,  grasping  his  staff  with  both  hands,  and 
looked  about  inquiringly,  his  eyes  blinking  in  the 
sunshine. 

"  Gaffer  can  tell  you  what's  what,"  said  one  of  the 
older  men,  who  was  yet  a  youth  as  compared  with 
Gaffer.  "  He  knows  all  about  the  old  armor.  Dost 
thou  not,  Gaffer  ? " 

"  Hey  ?  —  know  about  w-h-a-t  ? "  and  he  curved  his 
hand  around  his  right  ear,  and  leaned  forward,  listen 
ing  intently. 

"Why,  about  all  this  old  truck  the  lads  have 
brought  down  from  the  lofts,"  was  the  answer. 
"  They  don't  know  a  greave  from  an  arm-piece." 

"  Speak  for  yourself,"  cried  Ralph.  "  Wisdom 
wasn't  born  with  you.  I  know  a  hawk  from  a  hand 
saw,  if  I  am  but  twenty  years  old.  But  what's  this, 
Gaffer  ?  How  did  a  man  ever  wear  it  ? "  and  he  held 


228  IN  KINGS1  HOUSES. 

up  a  bit  of  embossed  steel,  curiously  shaped  and 
moulded. 

Gaffer  rose  slowly  and  approached  the  pile  of 
armor,  leaning  heavily  on  his  staff. 

"  That !  That  was  for  the  steed,  not  for  the 
rider,  man !  'Tis  but  a  head-piece  for  a  horse. 
And  here's  another  like  unto  it,  only  it  hath  wings 
at  the  side.  No  man  ever  wore  that." 

He  tottered  back  to  his  seat,  while  a  sarcastic 
laugh  rose  from  the  ranks  of  the  older  men,  aug 
mented  now  by  twos  and  threes. 

"Dost  know  a  hawk  from  a  hand-saw,  Master 
Montague,  and  wilt  thou  wear  a  horse's  head-piece 
when  thou  dost  tilt  before  the  Queen  ? "  asked  one 
of  them,  giving  him  a  punch  in  the  side,  which  was 
returned  with  interest. 

But  a  new  thought  had  made  its  way  into  Gaffer's 
clouded  brain.  "  I  am  very  old,"  he  said,  "  older 
than  the  oldest  of  you.  I  can  remember  when 
James  I.  was  king.  I  was  chief  armorer  here 
when  my  lord  went  out  to  fight  at  Naseby  — 

"'Twas  this  lord's  father,  rest  his  soul,"  interpo 
lated  one  of  the  bystanders,  by  way  of  explanation. 

"  Aye,  aye,  I  reckon  we  all  know  that,"  remarked 
Ralph.  "  Go  on,  Gaffer." 

"  I  helped  him  on  with  his  hauberk  that  day,  and 
fastened  his  greaves.  Ah,  he  was  a  man  !  " 

He  shook  his  head  slowly,   and   the   bystanders 


IN  KINGS'    HOUSES.  22Q 

waited  on  his  moods.  Old  Gaffer  was,  by  virtue 
of  his  years,  honored  and  deferred  to  by  the  whole 
household. 

"  Aye,  and  after  that,  when  Raglan  was  besieged, 
I  was  sent  to  the  help  of  the  old  marquis.  My  Lord 
Herbert  of  Somerset,  he  was  there,  too.  There  was 
a  white  horse  in  the  court  that  spouted  water  up  to 
the  sky.  There  was  a  black  moat  that  was  bewitched, 
and  would  rise  up  and  drown  folk  unawares  ;  and 
there  were  strange  doings  with  fire  and  water,  — 
marvels  on  marvels.  There  were  those  who  said 
my  Lord  Herbert  was  in  league  with  the  devil. 
Verily,  I  know  not,  —  but  'twas  a  strange,  unearthly 
place,  that  Raglan  castle." 

"But  about  the  armor,"  said  Robin,  to  bring  the 
old  man  back  from  his  wandering.  "  Saw  you  ever 
this  before  ? "  And  he  held  up  something  from  the 
heap.  It  did  not  matter  what. 

"  That  ?  Let  me  have  it,  lad  !  It  looks  like  the 
dragon  that  was  on  my  lord's  helmet.  Give  it  here  !  " 

He  turned  it  over  critically,  then  tossed  it  back. 
"'Tis  not  the  same,"  he  said.  Then  straightening 
himself  up,  with  a  sudden  flame  as  of  blue  fire  in 
his  eyes,  he  cried  out : 

"  What  means  this,  my  men  ?  I  am  chief  armorer. 
I  have  charge  of  all  the  armor  of  this  house.  Every 
bit  of  mail  passes  through  my  hands.  At  my  lord's 
bidding  I  put  it  in  order,  and  set  it  up  in  the  armory 


230  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

at  the  end  of  the  great  hall,  —  piece  by  piece,  in  the 
manner  it  was  worn.  I  did  it  with  my  own  hands ; 
and  now,  here  it  is  in  all  this  coil,  covered  with  rust, 
and  tossed  about  by  ploughboys  and  lackeys.  'Tis 
pitiful!" 

His  voice  sank  to  a  mere  whisper ;  his  eyes  grew 
dim  and  lustreless  again,  and  he  covered  his  face 
with  his  wrinkled  hands,  sobbing  like  a  child. 

Both  Robin  and  Ralph  sprang  to  his  side,  support 
ing  him  tenderly.  "  Nay,  nay,  Gaffer,"  said  the  for 
mer.  "'Tis  not  as  you  think.  Look  up,  and  let 
me  tell  thee.  This  is  not  the  armor  from  the 
great  armory.  'Tis  but  some  odd  pieces  from 
the  loft  that  you  did  not  think  worth  the  setting 
up.  Look  you,  now !  There's  hardly  a  full  suit 
here ;  but  my  lord  said  we  were  to  furbish  up  what 
we  liked  for  the  Queen's  tournament." 

"  The  Queen  ?     What  Queen  ? " 

"Why,  our  own  good  Queen  Anne,  who  comes 
here  to-morrow." 

The  old  man  shook  his  head.  "  The  Queen's  name 
is  Henrietta  Maria,"  he  said.  "  She  is  a  French 
woman,  and  a  papist,  and  'tis  thought  she  leads  King 
Charles  astray." 

Then,  looking  around  with  a  bewildered  air,  he  put 
his  hand  to  his  forehead.  "  I  am  so  old,"  he 
continued.  "  I  am  distraught ;  I  lose  my  wits. 
Charles  I.,  —  is  he  King  now,  lads?" 


ROBIN    AND    LORD    WEYMOUTH. 


IN  ICINGS1   HOUSES. 

The  older  men  had  slipped  away,  one  by  one, 
when  Gaffer  Ambrose's  wits  began  to  wander, 
leaving  him  to  the  ministrations  of  the  younger 
ones.  They  looked  at  each  other  significantly,  lift 
ing  him  to  his  feet. 

"Here's  your  staff,  Gaffer,"  said  Robin.  "You 
are  tired,  that's  all.  Come  now  to  the  buttery  for  a 
bowl  of  broth,  and  when  you  have  had  an  hour's 
rest,  you  shall  come  out  again  and  tell  us  tales  of 
the  old  wars  that  shall  make  every  hair  in  our  heads 
to  stand  on  end.  Come,  now !  First  one  foot  and 
then  the  other  !  "  And  they  led  him  away  forgetful 
of  the  present,  and  babbling  happily  of  dead  kings 
and  coats  of  mail. 

Returning  to  the  court,  the  young  squires  resumed 
their  investigations.  Before  noon  all  who  were  to 
take  part  in  the  mock  tournament  were  well  fitted 
out,  and  smiths  and  armorers  were  at  work,  mend 
ing,  restoring,  and  polishing. 

That  night,  Robin,  as  was  his  custom,  took  the 
sleeping-cup  to  my  Lord  Weymouth  in  his  chamber. 
He  was  in  velvet  dressing-gown  and  slippers,  reclin 
ing  in  a  large  armchair  with  wings.  The  light  from 
a  hanging  lamp  fell  full  upon  his  iron-gray  hair,  and  a 
letter  with  a  great  red  seal  from  which  he  was  reading. 

"  Put  it  on  the  table,"  he  said,  as  Robin  presented 
the  cup,  "  and  wait  awhile.  I  have  somewhat  to  say 
to  you  when  I  have  read  this  letter." 


232  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

Robin  withdrew  to  the  window  and  looked  off 
across  the  park  to  the  wooded  hills  in  the  distance. 
It  was  still  light  without,  with  the  lingering  twilight 
glow.  Through  an  opening  in  the  woods  he  caught 
a  glimpse  of  the  radiant  sunset  sky,  slowly  changing 
to  purple  and  pale  gray. 

" '  Heaven's  Gate,'  our  good  Doctor  Ken  calls  that 
gap,"  thought  Robin,  his  eye  following  afar  the  flight 
of  a  rook,  dark  against  the  sky.  "  It  is  well  named." 

"Come  hither,  lad,"  said  Lord  Wey mouth,  folding 
the  letter  and  laying  it  beside  the  agate  cup  that 
held  the  sleeping-draught.  "  The  Queen  defers  her 
coming  for  a  day,  thus  arriving,  not  on  the  morrow 
as  we  thought,  but  on  the  day  after.  Whereat  I  am 
not  sorry,  as  it  gives  more  time  for  preparation.  The 
place  must  be  in  full  regalia  for  the  reception  of  her 
Majesty,  my  lad,"  and  my  lord  smiled  as  he  mo 
tioned  Robin  to  a  low  seat  at  his  feet. 

"Everything  is  in  good  trim,  my  lord,"  was  the 
answer.  "The  men  have  outdone  themselves. 
There's  not  so  much  as  a  leaf  out  of  place,  from 
lodge  to  turret." 

"  And  how  about  the  tournament  ?  Is  all  going 
well  ?  'Tis  but  a  merry  farce,  of  course ;  less  for 
the  pleasure  of  the  Queen  than  for  the  amusement 
of  the  younger  ladies  of  her  train.  Yet  still  I  would 
have  my  young  squires  at  their  best." 

"  They  will  be,  my  lord,  they  will  be.     There  has 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  233 

been  naught  going  on  to-day  but  practising  at  arms, 
the  fitting  and  trying  on  of  mail,  and  the  comparing 
of  head-pieces." 

"And  are  the  armorers  doing  their  part  well, 
that  all  may  be  fair  and  seemly?  How  long  hast 
thou  been  of  my  household,  Robin  ? "  he  asked,  sud 
denly  changing  the  subject. 

"It  will  be  three  years  when  Tuesday  comes, 
since  I  first  saw  Longleat.  '  Twas  a  happy  day  for 
me,  my  lord." 

"And  you  have  been  my  secretary  for  a  full 
twelvemonth,  and,  in  a  way,  chief  of  the  younger 
squires,  also.  Not  an  easy  part,  either,  this  last," 
Lord  Weymouth  went  on,  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eyes. 
"  Somewhat  like  being  Head  of  the  Schoolhouse  at 
Rugby,  —  eh,  Robin  ? " 

"  Nay,  I  know  nothing  of  that,  my  lord,  never 
having  been  at  a  great  school.  As  for  my  being, 
as  you  are  pleased  to  say,  chief  of  the  squires,  it 
so  happened  that  the  oldest  of  the  young  men  who 
were  already  here  left  your  service  soon  after  I 
entered  it,  leaving  me  somewhat  in  advance  of  those 
that  came  after.  It  was  no  desert  of  mine,  I  do  as 
sure  you,  sir.  I  did  but  know  the  ways  of  Longleat 
better  than  later  comers." 

His  lordship  laughed. 

"  Is  that  it  ?  Very  well,  —  state  the  case  as  best 
pleases  you.  But  —  I  have  watched;  I  have  seen. 


234  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

You  have  ruled  your  small  court  well  and  wisely, 
Robin.  I  shall  miss  thee,  my  lad,  when  the  Queen 
calls  thee  hence,"  and  he  laid  his  hand  kindly  on  the 
strong  young  arm  beside  him. 

Robin,  greatly  moved  by  this  unlooked-for  praise 
and  unwonted  show  of  feeling  on  the  part  of  his 
grave  lord,  dropped  on  one  knee,  and  kissed  the  hand 
that  had  caressed  him. 

"  My  master,  my  master !  "  he  cried.  "  Thou  hast 
been  like  a  father  to  me.  I  would  I  could  show  thee 
my  love  and  gratitude,  but  thou  canst  never  know 
it." 

"I  do  know  it,"  was  the  answer.  "Thou  art  a 
good  lad,  Robin.  But  now  to  business  —  to  busi 
ness  !  On  the  day  after  to-morrow  the  Queen 
comes,  and  I  ride  to  Frome  to  meet  her.  Let  my 
gentlemen  and  men-at-arms  be  ready  to  act  as  escort. 
See  that  all  is  as  it  should  be.  Now  go,  —  for  the 
hour  grows  late.  But  send  hither  to  me  the  Master 
of  Horse.  I  must  confer  with  him  before  I  sleep." 

As  Robin  left  the  room  with  a  low  obeisance,  Lord 
Weymouth  looked  after  him  with  a  lingering  gaze. 
Then  sinking  back  in  his  chair  with  a  long-drawn 
breath,  he  said  to  himself,  musingly,  after  the  manner 
of  men  who  are  much  alone,  as  was  he  in  spite  of  his 
large  household,  for  he  had  neither  wife  nor  child 
living :  "  Strange  how  my  heart  goes  out  to  that 
youngster !  Never  since  my  own  son  fell  at  Sedge- 


IN  KINGS1   HOUSES.  235 

moor  have  I  so  loved  any  of  the  youths  about  me. 
'  Grandson  of  an  old  nurse  of  mine  ? '  So  said  the 
Queen  that  day.  Yet  seems  he  '  native  here  and  to 
the  manner  born.' " 

There  was  a  knock  at  the  door,  and  Hubert  Lang- 
ley,  Master  of  Horse,  entered. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

OF  all  the  busy  folk  at  Longleat  on  the  morrow, 
none  were  busier  than  the  young  gentlemen  who 
were  to  take  part  in  the  mock  tournament.  Such 
trying  on  and  fitting  of  armor,  rubbed  and  polished 
to  the  last  degree,  such  strutting  in  the  borrowed 
plumes  of  dead  heroes,  had  not  been  seen  for  many  a 
day.  Six  gentlemen  in  the  service  of  a  neighboring 
nobleman,  Lord  Hargrave,  were  to  tilt  with  six  of 
Lord  Weymouth's.  For  the  whole  country  was  alive 
to  the  honor  and  glory  of  this  visit  from  her  Majesty, 
and  every  lord  and  gentleman  within  its  limits  had 
been  bidden  to  Longleat. 

There  was  to  be  a  grand  banquet ;  there  was  to  be 
a  merry  masque,  with  lovely  ladies  in  fanciful  dis 
guises  ;  there  was  to  be  dancing  on  the  lawn  by 
moonlight  and  torchlight,  and  the  treading  of  min 
uets  in  the  great  hall  by  the  blaze  of  a  thousand 
waxen  candles  set  in  silver  sconces  ;  there  was  to  be 
an  archery  contest  in  the  green  glades  of  the  park, 
and  athletic  sports  on  the  tilting  ground,  with  an 
award  of  prizes,  —  and,  to  crown  all,  there  was  to  be 
the  grand  tournament  for  which  all  were  preparing. 

236 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  237 

No  wonder  that  not  only  Longleat,  but  all  Somerset 
shire,  was  in  a  whirl  of  excitement. 

The  Queen  was  to  sleep  at  Westbury,  —  about  ten 
miles  from  Frome  ;  and  it  had  been  announced  that, 
to  avoid  the  heat  of  the  July  day,  she  would  start 
from  thence  as  soon  after  sunrise  as  might  be,  reach 
ing  Frome  by  ten  o'clock. 

So  the  sun  was  hardly  above  the  hills  when  the 
great  stable  court  at  Longleat  was  astir.  Horses 
were  being  groomed  and  saddled,  accoutrements 
were  receiving  the  final  perfecting  touches,  and 
grooms  and  pages  were  darting  hither  and  thither 
on  a  hundred  different  errands.  There  were  few 
to  look  idly  on,  for  in  kitchen  and  buttery,  hall 
and  chamber,  corridor  and  closet,  heads,  hands,  and 
eyes  were  busy.  Only  Gaffer  Ambrose  had  crept  out 
of  his  quiet  nest,  and  sat  on  a  bench  in  the  sunshine. 

The  talk  of  the  Queen's  visit  had  indeed  reached 
him,  where  he  dwelt  afar,  like  the  murmur  of  the  sea. 
In  a  vague  way  he  felt  the  stir  and  tension  in  the  air. 
But  that  was  all.  If  he  comprehended  that  the 
Queen  was  coming,  he  disapproved,  shaking  his  old 
head  slowly.  Henrietta  Maria  was  a  papist,  and  she 
led  King  Charles  astray. 

Lord  Wey mouth's  black  stallion  was  champing  the 
bit,  and  making  passes  at  the  groom  who  held  him. 
Robin,  in  a  riding  suit  of  dark  purple  with  a  glint  of 
gold  here  and  there,  broad  collar  and  cuffs  of  fine 


238  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

white  holland,  wide-brimmed  hat  of  black  felt,  cocked, 
and  fastened  with  rosettes  of  velvet,  and  high,  yel 
low  Cordovan  boots,  was  whispering  in  the  ear  of 
Fanuella,  who  bent  her  head  towards  him,  listening 
wisely. 

"You  must  carry  thyself  well,  my  lady,"  he  was 
saying.  "  Thou  knowest  thou  wert  given  me  by  our 
good  Queen,  and  she  will  surely  mark  thy  paces. 
And  who  knows  —  " 

But  at  that  moment  my  lord  appeared,  the  order 
to  mount  was  given,  and  in  less  time  than  it  takes  to 
tell  it,  an  imposing  cavalcade  was  filing  out  at  the 
great  gate. 

Robin  rode  at  Lord  Weymouth's  left  hand,  his 
heart  in  a  tumult  of  expectation  and  dread.  Not 
that  he  feared  the  Queen.  She  had  always  been 
kind  to  him ;  she  would  be  kind  now.  Lord  Wey 
mouth's  approval  was  an  assurance  of  hers. 

But  who  would  be  in  her  Majesty's  train  ?  Would 
Little  Lady  be  one  of  the  younger  ladies  of  whom 
his  lord  had  spoken,  and  for  whose  amusement  they 
were  to  tilt  ?  He  would  have  asked  if  he  had  dared. 
But  this  morning  Lord  Weymouth,  who  often  talked 
with  him  freely  and  companionably,  rode  on  silently, 
absorbed  in  thought,  or  in  a  critical  mood  watched 
the  riding  and  carriage  of  his  train.  Robin  could 
not  summon  courage  to  speak. 

For  three  years  he  had  not  heard  her  name,  save 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  2$$ 

once  or  twice  in  some  stray  mention  of  the  court. 
He  had  had  no  glimpse  of  her  since  that  Coronation 
day  in  the  abbey  when  she  wore  his  arrow  in  her 
hair.  She  was  his  Little  Lady  no  longer,  but  the 
Lady  Anne  Gascoyne,  the  brightest  star  in  her 
Majesty's  galaxy.  For  there  could  be  no  doubt  as 
to  that !  Did  she  ever  think  of  him  ?  Did  she  still 
remember  the  old  camaraderie,  the  story-telling  in 
the  little  library,  the  apple-roastings,  the  chestnut- 
tings,  all  the  simple,  kindly,  honest  good-fellowship 
when  Gloster  lived  and  was  the  friend  of  both  ? 
Would  she  greet  him  kindly  now  in  her  beautiful 
maidenhood  ?  Would  she  smile  on  him,  and  per 
haps  even  give  him  her  white  hand  to  kiss  ? 

But  if  she  did,  what  could  ever  come  of  it  ?  Who 
and  what  was  he,  that  he  should  aspire  to  the  favor 
and  friendship  of  the  Lady  Anne  Gascoyne  ?  He 
was  no  beggar.  He  did  not  think  of  himself  even 
as  the  protege  of  the  Queen.  As  Lord  Weymouth's 
secretary  and  favorite  his  position  in  that  household 
was  well  assured,  and  was  never  questioned.  For  a 
long  time  now,  he  had  been  put  in  quiet,  unremarked 
possession  of  an  allowance,  or  stipend,  amply  suffi 
cient  for  his  needs.  And  the  wage  was  well  earned. 
He  knew  that.  He  was  no  mere  pensioner,  living 
on  his  lord's  bounty.  As  for  his  birth,  no  one  at 
Longleat,  save  Lord  Weymouth,  knew  aught  of  it, 
or  ever  gave  it  a  thought.  There  were  plenty  of 


240  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

young  men  all  over  the  kingdom,  who,  for  various 
reasons,  political  or  otherwise,  held  similar  positions 
to  his  own  in  noble  households ;  though  few  of  the 
number,  it  must  be  added,  had  good  command  of 
the  pen  as  well  as  of  the  steed  and  the  sword. 

But  when  it  came  to  thoughts  of  love  and 
marriage,  it  was  quite  another  matter.  Truth  to 
say,  of  marriage  Robin  did  not  think ;  nor  had 
he  thought  consciously  of  love,  save  as  a  bright 
fantasy.  Youth  dreams  and  wonders  long  before 
it  thinks. 

Frome  is  now  a  modern  little  town,  with  common 
place  little  shops  as  its  chief  points  of  interest. 
Little  is  left  of  its  old  importance  save  the  noble 
church  beside  which,  under  the  chancel  window, 
Thomas  Ken  lies  buried.  But  two  hundred  years 
ago  its  streets  had  not  lost  their  picturesque  setting, 
—  the  quaint  old  houses  and  antique  architecture 
of  an  elder  day.  The  town  was  at  its  best  that 
morning,  as  Lord  Weymouth  and  his  brilliant  train 
rode  through  to  meet  the  Queen  just  on  its  farther 
limits.  Royal  progresses,  royal  entrances,  royal 
processions,  have  been  often  described.  But  let  no 
one  think  of  Anne  as  a  second  stately  Elizabeth, 
in  green  velvet  riding-habit,  and  cap  with  floating 
plume,  guiding  a  superb  milk-white  charger  with 
imperial  grace  and  dignity.  Nor  was  Lord  Wey 
mouth,  as  he  bent  his  knee  in  salutation,  a  Leicester 


IN  KINGS1  HOUSES.  241 

in  "cloth  of  gold,  blazing  with  jewels."  The  days 
of  such  splendid  pageantry  were  over.  But  he  was 
a  noble  English  gentleman,  suitably  apparelled ;  and 
the  Queen  was  in  a  grand  open  carriage,  drawn  by 
four  fine  horses,  as  became  her  age  and  state. 

The  dust  of  the  highway  was  annoying  in  spite 
of  a  sharp  shower  in  the  night.  After  due  saluta 
tion,  a  movement  of  Lord  Weymouth's  hand  sent 
his  whole  train,  Robin  included,  galloping  to  the 
rear,  that  the  Queen  might  not  be  discommoded; 
and  he  alone  rode  by  her  side  from  Frome  to 
Longleat.  It  was  a  relief,  indeed,  to  pass  from 
the  heat  outside  into  the  cool  green  stillness  and 
shadowy  recesses  of  the  great  park ;  and  as  they 
went  on  and  on  through  the  vast,  silent,  perfectly 
kept  spaces,  and  at  length  caught  sight  of  the 
stately  Elizabethan  mansion,  with  its  many  square 
bays,  its  Doric  columns,  its  multitude  of  domes  and 
turrets  surrounding  the  line  of  the  almost  horizontal 
roof,  its  many  statues  standing  out  in  strong  relief 
against  the  sky,  together  with  its  vast  dimensions 
and  massive  dignity,  her  Majesty  gave  an  exclama 
tion  of  delight. 

"  Surely  my  nobles  do  house  themselves  well ! " 
she  cried.  "  My  Lord  Weymouth,  you  have  a  palace 
wherein  to  receive  your  Queen." 

He  bowed  low  in  the  saddle,  as,  tossing  the  reins 
to  a  groom,  he  sprang  from  his  horse,  and  assisted 


242  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

her  to  alight.  "It  is,  indeed,  a  palace  while  your 
Majesty  honors  its  roof,"  he  said.  "Welcome  to 
Longleat,  my  Queen !  " 

He  would  have  conducted  her  at  once  to  the  suite 
of  apartments  prepared  for  her,  but  it  pleased  her 
Majesty's  fancy  to  linger  for  awhile  in  the  lofty, 
spacious,  vaulted  hall  with  its  noble  staircase. 

"  Nay,  my  lord,"  she  entreated,  "  I  will  sit  here 
for  a  moment,  if  I  may,  and  look  about  me.  Truly, 
as  I  said  before,  thou  art  well  housed.  I  had  no 
thought  that  Longleat  was  so  grand.  Who  may 
have  built  it,  my  lord  ? " 

Falling  in  with  her  mood,  Lord  Weymouth  went 
on  for  five  minutes,  telling  her  of  its  Italian  archi 
tect,  John  of  Padua,  and  of  sundry  legends  of  love 
and  crime  connected  with  the  vast  edifice.  Mean 
while,  her  younger  ladies  flitted  quietly  hither  and 
thither  like  a  flock  of  bright-winged  birds,  perching 
on  window-seat  and  staircase,  and  peering  out  of 
windows  with  pretty  half-smothered  exclamations 
of  wonder  and  delight,  while  the  older  ones  stood 
gravely  by,  awaiting  somewhat  impatiently  their 
mistress's  pleasure. 

Lady  Marlborough  was  first  to  speak. 

"  Methinks  you  are  flushed  and  tired,  madam,  and 
it  would  be  wise  to  seek  some  rest  before  listening 
longer  to  my  Lord  Weymouth's  romancing,"  she 
said,  making  him  a  half -mocking  curtsey,  but  smil- 


IN  KINGS1  HOUSES.  243 

ing  withal.  She  had  no  mind  to  quarrel  with  her 
stately  host. 

"  I  beg  pardon,"  he  said,  bowing  low.  "  I  beg 
pardon  if  my  romancing  was  out  of  season.  But  — 
grant  me  one  moment,  Lady  Marlborough.  I  have 
your  Majesty's  permission?" 

Queen  Anne  nodded.  "  Indeed  I  am  in  no  haste 
to  go  to  bed,  my  lord,"  she  answered.  "What  will 
you?" 

Lord  Wey mouth  had  just  caught  sight  of  Robin 
standing  without,  while  Fanuella  was  being  led  away 
to  her  stall,  and  with  one  swift  gesture  beckoned 
him  to  his  side.  Then,  taking  his  hand,  he  led  him 
forward  without  a  word,  but  smiling. 

The  tall,  lithe,  handsome  youth  knelt  at  the 
Queen's  feet,  with  downcast  eyes  and  arms  folded  on 
his  breast,  perfectly  quiet  in  outward  bearing,  though, 
to  his  amazement  and  indignation  equally,  his  heart 
was  thundering  in  his  ears.  What  ailed  it  ?  he 
thought,  contemptuously.  He  had  not  been  abashed 
in  the  Queen's  presence  when  he  was  but  a  child. 
Why  should  he  tremble  now  ?  This  was  no  time  for 
philosophizing;  but  had  he  only  known  it,  it  was 
partly  due  to  Lady  Marlborough' s  cool,  critical  gaze 
bent  steadfastly  upon  him  now,  with  the  same  hint 
of  displeasure  and  dislike  that  he  had  so  often  felt  in 
Windsor  ;  and  partly  to  the  happier  fact  that,  in  one 
swift,  all-embracing  glance,  as  he  entered  the  hall,  he 


244  Iff  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

had  caught  a  glimpse  of  Little  Lady  in  a  bevy  of 
maidens  who  were  leaning  over  the  balustrade  and 
looking  down  on  him  from  the  first  landing. 

It  is,  perhaps,  not  strange  that  for  a  moment 
Queen  Anne  did  not  recognize  him.  He  had 
changed  greatly  in  this  period  of  rapid  transition 
between  boyhood  and  early  manhood.  As  he  knelt, 
his  head  was  bent  low,  and  his  rich,  dark  curls,  worn 
rather  long,  after  the  manner  of  the  cavaliers,  —  for 
Lord  Weymouth  did  not  approve  of  wigs  for  the 
young  men  of  his  household,  —  half  hid  the  brown 
cheeks  on  which  the  color  was  slowly  deepening. 
Anne  looked  inquiringly  at  Lord  Weymouth,  and 
smilingly  at  the  kneeling  figure  before  her. 

"'Tis  a  goodly  youth,"  she  said.  "Here,  I  give 
him  my  hand  to  kiss,  though  you  have  not  yet 
vouchsafed  to  give  me  his  name,  my  lord.  But, 
nathless,  —  Robin  !  Is  it  thou  ? " 

The  lad  lifted  his  eyes  to  her  face,  and  as  she  met 
their  full,  wide,  undaunted  gaze,  she  knew  him,  and 
her  face  changed.  For  a  moment  she  saw  two 
childish  figures  at  her  feet.  Gloster  was  present  in 
that  ancient  hall.  As  Robin  took  her  hand,  rever 
ently,  and  bent  his  head  over  it,  her  fingers  closed 
over  his  and  she  raised  him  to  his  feet. 

"  Faith !  but  I  did  not  know  the  lad,  so  changed 
and  grown  is  he !  "  she  cried.  "  Why,  he  is  as  tall 
as  you,  my  Lord  Weymouth,  and  he  hath  the  air 


IN-  KINGS'   HOUSES.  245 

and  bearing  of  a  man.  I  give  you  joy  of  your  handi 
work.  Truly  I  beg  pardon  for  calling  thee  'lad,' 
Master  Sandys,"  —  and  she  smiled  on  him  with  up 
turned  face  as  he  towered  above  her. 

All  this  had  passed  in  a  moment's  space.  Then 
Lady  Marlborough  swept  forward. 

"  Come,  come,  madam  !  "  she  said.  "  'Tis  time 
you  were  in  your  chamber,  if  you  care  to  be  fit  to  be 
seen  at  the  fete  this  evening.  And  the  Lord  knows 
we  all  need  rest  after  this  long  drive.  Let  us  to  our 
rooms,  please  you,  my  Lord  Weymouth,  without 
more  delay." 

And  her  Majesty  meekly  obeyed  her  imperious 
monitress. 

Shall  the  truth  be  told  ?  It  has  been  said  already 
that  Queen  Anne  was  swayed,  even  more  than  most 
women,  by  circumstances  and  the  strongest  present 
influence.  Her  life  was  full  of  engrossing  interests  ; 
from  war  and  politics,  to  the  quarrels  of  her  women. 
If  it  was  not  strange  that  she  did  not  at  once  recog 
nize  Robin  after  the  lapse  of  three  critical  years,  so 
neither  must  it  be  considered  strange  that  during 
those  years  she  had  hardly  thought  of  him.  Even 
the  shadow  of  Gloster  had  grown  dim  in  the  whirl 
of  other  interests ;  and  Gloster' s  friend  was  to  her, 
after  all  is  said,  only  the  shadow  of  a  shade. 

She  had  kept  her  promise  to  Gloster,  by  placing 
Robin  where  he  was,  —  in  the  path  of  promotion. 


246  IN  KINGS'1   HOUSES. 

Having  done  this,  except  when  on  her  rare  pilgrim 
ages  to  Windsor  an  occasional  glimpse  of  Dame 
Dorothy  may  have  recalled  him  to  her  mind,  she 
straightway  forgot  all  about  him. 

Yet  now  she  was  honestly  delighted  to  find  that 
he  amply  justified,  in  the  beauty  and  promise  of  his 
splendid  young  manhood,  the  friendship  of  her  son, 
as  well  as  her  own  goodly  share  in  furthering  it. 
And  this  was  not  strange,  either. 

"  On  my  life,  I  have  not  seen  a  finer  or  more 
comely  gallant  than  this  same  Robin  Sandys,  for 
many  a  day,"  she  said,  after  reaching  the  magnifi 
cent  room  that  had  been  set  apart  as  her  presence- 
chamber,  —  with  its  canopied  dais,  and  its  splendid 
ceiling  newly  decorated,  in  her  honor,  with  her  own 
crest  and  initials.  "Verily,  my  Lord  Weymouth 
hath  made  a  man  of  him,  and  I  do  thank  my  stars 
that  I  sent  him  to  such  a  fine  place.  We  must  have 
him  up  at  court  ere  while,  —  eh,  my  Lady  Marl- 
borough  ?  " 

"  It  seems  to  me  he  is  fairly  well  off  where  he  is," 
said  Lady  Marlborough.  "I  see  no  need  of  haste 
in  the  matter  of  his  further  advancement.  To  speak 
the  truth,  madam,  I  always  thought  him  a  forward 
lad,  somewhat  in  the  way  of  his  betters.  But  very 
like  your  Majesty  would  do  well  to  make  him  gentle 
man  of  the  bedchamber,  or  mayhap  privy  councillor, 
in  place  of  my  Lord  Rochester,"  she  flouted.  "  I 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES.  247 

have  naught  to  say  about  it,  thank  the  Lord  !  Mis 
tress  Hill,  make  you  her  Majesty  comfortable,  if  you 
can,  while  I  go  to  take  some  rest.  Where  be  all 
those  young  damsels  we  be  cumbered  with  bestowed  ? 
So  silly  they  be,  as  if  no  one  of  them  had  ever  seen 
a  fine  place  before  this !  Yet  for  my  own  sake  I 
would  have  them  fit  themselves  to  make  a  decent 
appearance  this  night." 


CHAPTER  XX. 

LONGLEAT  was  in  a  blaze  of  glory  that  night. 
Even  by  day  the  windows  and  bays  of  the  magnifi 
cent  pile  seemed  countless  as  the  sands  of  the  sea. 
Now  every  triple  and  quadruple  casement  was  set 
with  a  living,  palpitating  jewel  from  which  rays  of 
light  streamed  far  across  the  wide  spaces  of  the 
pleasaunce,  and  down  the  leafy  avenues  that  encircled 
it.  Not  only  the  fa£ade,  but  every  side  of  the  great, 
almost  square,  edifice,  whose  walls  enclosed  acres  of 
space,  was  lighted  up  till  there  was  not  a  hint  of 
night  or  darkness  anywhere.  No  hint  of  night ;  yet 
overhead  the  full,  round  moon  soared  upward  and 
onward  through  a  cloudless,  dark  blue  sky,  its  majes 
tic  splendor  dwarfing  man's  highest  endeavor. 

All  Somersetshire,  and  many  of  the  rank  and 
fashion  from  adjacent  counties  were  there,  and  the 
scene,  both  without  and  within,  was  gay  and  beauti 
ful  beyond  description.  Naturally  its  magnificence 
culminated  in  the  presence-chamber  where,  on  the 
raised  dais,  Queen  Anne  sat  enthroned,  with  her 
group  of  ladies  about  her,  while  below  thronged  the 

248 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES.  249 

beauty  and    gallantry  of  the  southern  half   of  her 
kingdom. 

Robin  stood  in  the  corridor  without,  leaning 
against  the  doorway.  Ostensibly  he  was  watching 
the  gay  scene  within  the  chamber.  In  reality  he 
had  eyes  but  for  one  figure,  —  that  of  a  slight  young 
girl,  in  a  robe  of  glistening  white  brocade,  with  a 
string  of  pearls  clasped  closely  about  her  throat, 
who  stood  quietly  behind  the  Queen. 

Up  came  Ralph  Montague  to  join  him,  in  a  great 
flurry  of  excitement.  "  Look,  Robin,"  he  cried,  pull 
ing  him  by  the  sleeve,  "tell  me,  is  the  knot  of  my 
laced  kerchief  straight  ?  I  caught  it  on  Wat  Brad- 
shaw's  sleeve  button,  and  tore  a  great  rent  in  the 
border,  —  worse  the  luck  !  Doth  it  show  to  shame 
me  ? " 

Robin  looked  him  over  from  head  to  foot,  with  a 
slight  smile,  noting  the  fair  hair  curled  and  powdered, 
the  crimson  velvet  coat  faced  with  white  satin,  the 
long,  embroidered  waistcoat  of  white  and  silver,  the 
black  knee-breeches,  the  silken  hose,  and  the  dainty 
shoes  with  their  sparkling  buckles.  He  carried  his 
cocked  hat  under  his  arm,  and  wore  a  short  sword 
with  a  jewelled  hilt. 

"You  are  as  fine  as  a  peacock,  Ralph,"  he  said, 
"  and  as  trim  and  trig  as  a  newly  rigged  ship.  Never 
fear  for  you  when  fine  dressing  is  in  question." 

"  But  you  ?     Are  you  fine  enough  ? "  his  companion 


250  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

asked,  anxiously,  —  for  they  were  good,  true  friends, 
these  two,  though  not  overdemonstrative  about  it. 
"  Let  me  see !  Purple  velvet  coat  and  breeches, 
white  waistcoat,  lace  ruffles,  white  silk  stockings. 
Yes,  you'll  do,  though  that  waistcoat  would  have 
borne  a  trifle  more  embroidery.  You're  always 
chary  of  finery,  Robbie,  my  lad.  Are  we  gentlemen 
to  be  presented  to  her  Majesty,  —  do  you  know  ? " 

"Her  Majesty  was  pleased  to  speak  to  me  this 
morning,"  said  Robin,  tranquilly.  "  I  was  often  at 
Windsor,  when  a  child." 

The  peculiar  relation  that  had  led  to  Robin's  pres 
ent  position  was  not  known  at  Longleat,  Lord  Wey- 
mouth  having  wisely  considered  that  if  he  were 
known,  in  the  household,  as  in  any  sense  a  protege" 
of  the  Queen,  it  might  work  to  his  disadvantage. 

"  Phew  !  "  exclaimed  Ralph.  "  You  have  been 
close-mouthed  about  it.  Is  she  gracious,  her  Maj 
esty  ?  But  look  there,  Robin,  quick !  Do  you  see 
her,  —  that  young  demoiselle  in  white,  standing  at 
this  minute  just  behind  my  Lady  Marlborough  ?  I 
marked  her  this  morning  straying  by  herself  in  the 
privy  pleasaunce.  By  the  soul  of  Venus,  but  she  is 
the  fairest  maiden  my  eyes  ever  rested  on !  Her 
hair  is  like  spun  gold.  I  must  compass  her  acquaint 
ance  in  some  way,  and  strive  for  the  honor  of  a  dance 
with  her.  Think  you  my  lord  would  present  me  if  I 
were  to  muster  courage  to  ask  him,  —  eh,  Robin  ?" 


IN  KINGS1   HOUSES.  2$  I 

But  before  Robin  could  answer,  some  one  touched 
Ralph  on  the  arm,  and  he  was  lost  in  the  gay,  swirl 
ing  crowd,  leaving  his  companion  with  a  pang  at  his 
heart  that  was  half  joy,  half  sudden  terror.  Yes,  — 
his  Little  Lady  was  indeed  fair,  fairer  even  than 
in  his  dreams  of  her.  And  her  fairness,  her  sweet 
ness,  charmed  other  eyes  than  his. 

He  turned  again  to  watch  the  scene  upon  the  dais, 
as  one  looks  at  a  fair  picture.  But,  as  he  looked,  it 
dissolved.  The  Queen  dismissed  the  younger  ladies 
with  a  smiling  word,  and  a  wave  of  her  hand,  and  one 
by  one  they  withdrew. 

The  great  picture-gallery,  where  hung  the  por 
traits  of  the  Lords  of  Bath,  from  the  founder  of  the 
house,  Sir  John  Thynne,  to  that  of  Lord  Weymouth 
himself,  was  on  the  same  side  of  the  house  with  the 
suite  of  rooms  set  apart  for  the  Queen  and  her  reti 
nue.  Five  minutes  afterwards,  Robin,  suddenly  re 
membering  a  wish  his  lord  had  expressed  as  to  the 
rehanging  of  a  picture,  went  thither  to  see  if  the 
matter  had  been  attended  to.  The  long,  stately 
room  was  brilliantly  lighted,  as  was  all  the  rest  of 
the  house.  But  it  was  quite  deserted.  Who  cared 
for  dead  beauties?  The  living  were  stronger  mag 
nets,  —  warm,  glowing  flesh  and  blood,  palpitating 
with  life  and  joy.  Art  was  at  a  discount  when  com 
pared  with  the  attractions  of  the  ballroom,  the  ban- 
queting-hall,  and  the  presence-chamber,  to  say  nothing 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

of  the  lawns  and  gardens  where  colored  lamps  gleamed 
in  the  soft,  still  air,  and  the  moon  shone  overhead. 

Robin  was  no  ascetic,  and  no  saint.  He  was  fond 
of  song  and  dance,  of  fun  and  merriment,  and  of 
the  good  things,  even  the  splendors  of  life.  If  he 
scorned  all  that  was  ignoble,  if  he  was  not  given 
overmuch  to  the  wine-cup,  it  was,  perhaps,  more 
a  matter  of  taste  and  refinement  than  because  he 
had  deliberately  reasoned  the  matter  out.  What 
we  call  goodness  is  as  apt  as  otherwise  to  be  a 
matter  of  fortunate  temperament  rather  than  of  stern 
principle. 

But  to-night  he  was  in  no  mood  for  gaiety.  The 
viols  entreated  in  vain,  and  the  twanging  of  the 
stringed  instruments  stirred  him  no  more  than 
the  humming  of  so  many  bees.  He  threw  himself 
down  on  one  of  the  settles  ranged  against  the  crim 
son  wall,  and  his  thoughts  went  on  a  far  flight  back 
ward, — to  his  early  childhood,  and  his  grandmother's 
fairy  tales  of  kings'  houses  ;  to  his  boyhood,  and 
Gloster's  faithful,  unchanging  love,  and  all  he  owed 
to  it ;  to  the  days  that  had  followed  in  the  gray  cot 
tage,  and  the  still  forest,  —  and  then  turned,  with 
a  great  longing,  to  Dame  Dorothy.  How  good  she 
was,  how  true,  how  noble  in  all  real  nobleness,  and 
as  sweet  and  pure  as  any  fine  lady  in  the  land !  Yet 
at  that  moment  he  was  conscious,  as  he  had  never  been 
before,  that  he  loved  Little  Lady,  —  nay,  —  the  Lady 


IN  KINGS*  HOUSES.  2$$ 

Anne  Gascoyne,  —  and  that  he  had  loved  her  always. 
When  the  heart  once  awakens,  its  doors  fly  open 
wide,  and  all  loves,  if  they  be  holy,  enter  in ;  the  old 
and  the  new  dwelling  together  in  perfect  harmony. 

Just  then,  a  slender  figure  in  white  glided  out  of 
the  half  darkness  of  a  corridor  that  led  from  the 
Queen's  apartments  to  an  entrance  at  the  upper  end 
of  the  long  gallery,  lifted  the  arras,  and  looked  timidly 
in.  Robin's  heart  gave  one  great  throb,  and  then 
stood  still,  as  Lady  Anne,  seeing  no  one,  let  the  tap 
estry  sweep  back,  and,  leaning  against  the  casement 
of  the  wide,  mullioned  window,  looked  soberly  out  on 
the  gay  pleasaunce  and  the  white  moon  overhead. 

She  thought  she  was  alone.  She  had  neither 
seen  nor  heard  him.  Should  he  stir?  Should  he 
speak  ?  Or  should  he  steal  softly  away,  and  leave 
her  to  her  maiden  meditations  ? 

Before  he  had  answered  these  questions  it  was  too 
late.  She  turned,  and  came  slowly  down  the  gallery, 
glancing  here  and  there  at  a  portrait,  and  paused  at 
length,  midway,  with  dropped  hands  folded  lightly, 
and  uplifted  eyes,  before  that  of  a  beautiful  woman 
in  the  bloom  of  her  youth. 

Robin,  partly  hidden  by  the  shadow  of  a  great 
banner  that  hung  above  his  head,  was  still  unseen,  — 
but  now  he  rose  quietly,  and  stepped  forward  into 
the  light.  "Little  Lady!"  he  cried,  under  his 
breath,  "  Little  Lady  !  "  For,  in  her  near  presence, 


254  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

he  had  forgotten  time  and  distance,  —  all,  save  their 
old  companionship. 

She  gave  a  little  start,  a  look  of  inquiry.  Then 
her  face  grew  radiant,  and  she  came  swiftly  towards 
him,  with  outstretched  hands.  "  Robin  !  "  she  said, 
and  that  was  all ;  while  he,  dropping  on  one  knee, 
after  the  graceful,  reverent  fashion  of  his  day,  kissed 
them  both,  and  then  rose,  trembling. 

She,  as  is  the  manner  of  women,  be  they  old  or 
young,  was  the  first  to  recover  herself. 

"  Fie  on  you,  for  a  lazy  renegade,"  she  cried,  with 
the  little  imperious  air  he  so  well  remembered.  She 
had  always  been  in  the  habit  of  laying  down  the  law 
in  trifles,  both  to  him  and  Gloster.  "  Why  are  you 
mooning  here  in  this  dull  place  ?  You  should  be 
playing  the  gallant  in  the  ballroom,  or  leading  the 
dance  on  the  greensward.  I  thought  better  things 
of  you." 

Robin  led  her  to  the  seat  he  had  deserted.  "  Then 
you  have  thought  of  me,  Little  Lady  ?  You  have  not 
forgotten  me  ?  Tell  me  that,  I  pray  you,  for  truly 
there  has  not  been  a  day  —  nay,  hardly  an  hour  — 
since  we  parted  that  I  have  not  thought  of  you,  and 
with  a  great  longing  to  see  your  face  once  more. 
Tell  me,  Little  Lady,"  and  he  again  bent  his  knee  at 
her  side,  "  tell  me  you  have  remembered  the  old 
days  ? " 

She  turned  her  face  slightly  away  from  him,  but 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES.  255 

did  not  withdraw  the  hand  he  had  taken.  "  Yes,  I 
have  remembered,"  she  said,  softly.  "  See  !  "  and 
she  drew  from  its  hiding-place,  in  the  thick  coils  of 
her  hair,  the  little  silver  arrow.  "  See !  It  has  been 
precious  to  me  as  part  of  the  old  life.  The  Queen 
bade  me  keep  it  out  of  sight,  if  I  must  wear  it ;  but 
I  have  worn  it  always." 

"The  Queen!"  for  this  startling  reminder  over 
powered  for  the  moment  the  thought  of  her  remem 
brance.  "  The  Queen,  say  you  ? " 

"  Nay,  she  did  not  know  you  gave  it  to  me.  It 
was  not  that.  It  was  only  that  as  I  grew  older  she 
bade  me  wear  finer  things,  as  befitted  one  of  her 
train." 

Something  in  her  voice  moved  him.  He  gazed 
earnestly  on  her  half-averted  face,  and  a  memory  of 
their  talk,  long  ago,  under  the  portrait  of  the  king 
in  St.  George's  Hall,  came  to  him.  "  Little  Lady," 
he  whispered,  "  tell  me,  for  the  sake  of  the  old  days. 
Are  you  happy  ?  " 

She  did  not  answer  directly.  "I  like  not  this 
court  life,"  she  said.  "  I  would  I  could  fly  away 
from  it  and  see  it  no  more,  nor  be  a  part  of  it." 

"  But,  are  you  not  happy  ?  Surely  the  Queen 
loves  you ! " 

She  hesitated  a  moment.  "  Her  Majesty  is  kind 
to  me,"  she  said.  "  She  does  her  duty  to  her  god 
child,  whose  father  was  slain  for  loving  hers.  Oh, 


256  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

yes.  She  will  do  her  full  duty,  and  see  that  I  make 
a  fine  marriage  some  day.  The  Queen's  goddaugh 
ter  will  have  a  reasonable  dowry  given  her,  no  doubt, 
wherewith  to  buy  a  husband ;  and  then  all  will  be 
well,  and  her  father's  shade  will  sleep." 

She  spoke  bitterly,  scornfully,  but  her  eyes  were 
heavy  with  unshed  tears.  Robin  realized  at  last  what 
he  had  known  without  fully  realizing  before,  that  it 
was  by  a  woman's  side  he  knelt,  and  his  own  man 
hood  responded.  Yet  there  was  the  little  silver 
arrow,  and  her  hand  lay  trembling  in  his  own.  He 
bent  his  head  and  touched  his  lips  to  both. 

"  Lady  Anne,"  he  said,  "  thou  hast  done  me  much 
grace  to  keep  this  poor  trifle.  But  tell  me,  Lady 
Anne,  —  " 

"  Nay,  call  me  not  « Lady  Anne,'  but  '  Little 
Lady,'  "  she  cried.  "  I  hear  enough  of  Lady  Anne 
other  where.  But,  —  what  wilt  thou  ? " 

"Would  they  wed  you  to  one  for  whom  you  do 
not  care  ?  And  are  you  indeed  weary  of  the  court  ?" 

"  Yes,  and  yes,  — to  both  questions,"  she  answered. 
"  It  is  all  a  tangled  maze,  strife  and  treachery,  jeal 
ousy  and  ill-will  ;  and  I,  who  have  no  father's  house 
to  turn  to,  as  have  the  other  maidens,  I  weary  of  it 
beyond  all  telling.  And  there  is  no  door  of  escape 
save  one,"  she  added,  with  a  sudden  turn  of  the  head 
and  a  quick  breath.  "  But  now  no  more  of  this,  —  of 
me.  Tell  me  of  yourself,  Robin  !  Sit  here,  and  let 


IN  KINGS1   HOUSES. 

us  pretend  for  a  moment  that  we  are  again  children, 
telling  stories  in  the  little  library." 

Yielding  at  once  to  her  mood,  he  told  her,  painting 
the  picture  with  a  few  bold,  rapid  strokes,  the  story 
of  his  life  since  they  parted ;  a  life  at  once  quiet,  yet 
stirring ;  uneventful  outwardly,  yet  full  of  growth 
and  development.  Unconsciously  to  him,  it  was  a 
self-revelation.  Its  telling  brought  the  smiles  back 
to  her  lips,  the  color  to  her  cheeks.  Then  she  rose. 
They  had  been  together  but  twenty  flying  minutes. 

"  I  must  needs  go,  I  shall  be  called  for,"  she  said. 
"  Will  you  take  me  to  the  ballroom,  Master  Sandys  ? 
I  wonder  are  you  not  going  to  ask  for  the  honor  of  a 
dance  with  me  ?  "  and  she  swept  him  a  low  curtsey. 

"  If  I  may,  if  I  dare !  "  he  cried,  exultingly.  "But, 
-Little  Lady!" 

"  Well  ? " 

"  You  know  we  have  a  tournament  to-morrow,  and 
tilt  before  the  Queen  ? " 

"Yes,  so  I  have  heard." 

"I  would  it  were  a  real  joust,  a  real  tourneying, 
Lady,  that  I  might  be  your  champion,  and  challenge 
one  you  wot  of,  —  thus  avowing  myself  your  true 
knight  before  all  the  world." 

She  looked  at  him  with  laughing  eyes. 

"  I  doubt  if  you  could  overthrow  him  in  the  lists, 
Master  Robin.  Thou  art  taller  than  he  by  three 
good  inches  ;  but  nathless,  he  is  stouter  than  thou 


258  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

art,  and  much  thine  elder  both  in  years  and  dignities. 
Be  not  rash  !  " 

"  But,  —  Little  Lady  ? " 

"Well?"  she  said,  again. 

"  If  it  were  a  true  fight,  if  it  were  a  real  tourney, 
wouldst  thou  choose  me  for  thine  own  true  knight, 
and  bid  me  do  battle  for  thee  ?  Speak,  Little  Lady  ! 
On  my  knees  I  do  beseech  thee." 

She  hesitated  for  a  moment  with  downcast  eyes, 
her  color  coming  and  going.  Was  this  real,  or  was 
it  play,  like  the  mock  tournament  itself  ?  —  or  like 
the  semblance  of  love-making  into  which  Gloster 
would  have  beguiled  them,  in  the  old  days  of  James 
and  Joan  ?  But  her  hand  fell  slowly  on  his  shoul 
der  as  he  knelt,  like  the  touch  of  the  sword  in  the 
accolade. 

"  Yes,"  she  said,  in  a  voice  that  could  have  reached 
no  ear  but  his,  "  Yes.  If  this  were  a  real  tourney  I 
would  choose  thee  for  mine  own  true  knight." 

He  sprang  to  his  feet,  as  one  ennobled. 

"  And  if  I  won  the  fight  ? " 

"  Then  thou  shouldst  have  a  knight's  guerdon," 
she  answered. 

Was  this  real,  or  was  it  play  ?  He,  too,  asked  the 
question  secretly  of  his  own  heart  and  hers.  He 
had  been  borne  on  by  the  spirit  within  him  almost 
without  his  own  volition.  He  had  said  more  than  in 
a  saner  moment  he  would  have  dared  to  say.  Was 


IN'  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

he  in  a  dream,  or  no  ?  Yet  he  went  on,  bowing  low 
again  as  he  raised  her  hand  to  his  lips. 

"  Give  me  a  favor  to  wear  to-morrow,  then,"  he 
said.  "  Lady  Anne,  give  me  leave  to  dream  awhile  !  " 

On  a  loose  thread  of  gold  she  wore  a  tiny  Eastern 
amulet.  "  Here,"  she  said,  slipping  it  from  her 
wrist.  "  Take  it  for  good  luck !  And  now  keep  me 
not  another  minute,  but  take  me  to  the  ballroom 
straightway." 

Was  there  ever  such  a  dance  as  that  ?  Was  there 
ever  such  bewildering  music  ?  Was  earth  ever  before 
so  full  of  light  and  joy  and  melody,  the  glory  of 
existence,  the  delight  and  splendor  of  being  ?  Even 
when  forced  by  certain  unwritten  laws,  cogent  then 
as  now,  to  resign  Little  Lady  to  Ralph  Montague 
and  to  seek  another  partner  for  himself,  Robin  still 
trod  on  air  and  moved  as  one  on  wings. 

A  dais  and  canopied  chair  had  been  prepared  for 
the  Queen  in  the  splendid  ballroom  ;  and  thither  she 
had  repaired,  attended  by  Lord  Weymouth.  Lady 
Anne  was  dancing  with  young  Montague,  who  was 
evidently  enchanted  with  his  fair  partner.  Her 
Majesty  watched  the  stately  mazes  of  the  minuet 
with  pleased  eyes. 

"Lady  Anne  dances  well,"  she  said.  "Ah!  it  is 
good  to  be  young  and  lithe  and  supple,  my  lord.  I 
was  fond  of  the  dance  once  myself,"  and  the  woman 
within  her  gave  a  sigh  for  the  lost  youth. 


260  IN  KINGS1   HOUSES. 

Lord  Weymouth  bowed. 

"The  Lady  Anne?  Is  she  the  daughter  of  Gas- 
coyne  of  Ashtonwold,  madam  ?  " 

"Yes,"  said  the  Queen,  curtly,  "and  my  god 
daughter." 

She  said  no  more,  and  Lord  Weymouth  resumed 
his  silent  observations.  The  shadow  of  the  dead 
father  had  always  come  between  Anne  and  her  name- 
child,  in  spite  of  every  outward  observance,  and  it 
always  would. 

But  presently  she  turned  to  her  companion  with  a 
smile. 

"  T would  be  a  matter  of  prudence  not  to  leave  the 
lady  exposed  too  long  to  the  wiles  of  your  young 
gallants  here,  my  lord.  See  how  they  hover  about 
her !  Lord  Dalkieth  has  asked  her  hand  of  me ; 
and  as  I  have  sanctioned  his  suit,  they  are,  in  a  way, 
betrothed." 

"  The  old  lord,  your  Majesty  ?  He  must  be  very 
greatly  her  senior.  And  is  the  fair  demoiselle  pro 
pitiously  inclined  ?  " 

"  One  can  never  prophesy  as  to  a  girl's  whims," 
the  Queen  answered,  evasively.  "  She  knows  very 
well  that  I  approve  his  suit.  He  will  take  better 
care  of  her,  belike,  than  a  younger  man,"  she 
added,  laughing.  "  My  Lord  Weymouth,  I  find  the 
heat  oppressive.  Shall  we  return  to  my  presence- 
chamber  ? " 


IN  ICINGS'   HOUSES.  26 1 

Lord  Weymouth  escorted  her  Majesty  to  the  door 
of  her  chamber  and  retired. 

"Another  sacrifice,"  he  said  to  himself,  frowning 
slightly  as  he  turned  thoughtfully  away.  "  'Tis  a 
pity,  — for  'tis  a  rarely  sweet  maiden." 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

AND  now  the  great  day  had  come,  —  the  day  of 
the  tournament.  Everything  was  in  order,  the  tilt 
ing  ground  made  ready,  the  lists  set.  The  morning 
had  been  spent  quietly,  though  more  than  one  pair 
of  would-be  knights  had  stolen  away  to  some  se 
cluded  corner  of  the  park  for  practice  and  consulta 
tion.  Only  Armorer  Smith  was  in  demand.  If 
he  were  not  busy  at  his  forge,  bending  and  plying 
and  fastening  rivets,  he  was  busy  answering  ques 
tions,  —  for  who  understood  better  than  he  the 
weighty  problems  of  the  hour?  Even  Gaffer  Am 
brose  deferred  to  him  — sometimes  — as  to  the 
relative  weight  of  lances,  or  the  right  adjustment  of 
shields.  Gaffer,  leaning  with  clasped  hands  on  his 
staff,  gazed  idly  at  the  anvil  and  watched  the  heavy 
strokes  of  the  hammer.  Why  all  this  pother  and 
excitement  ?  How  could  the  Queen  be  an  honored 
guest  at  Longleat  ?  He  shook  his  old  head,  and 
tottered  back  to  his  quarters.  They  were  very  wise, 
these  young  folk,  —  but  he  knew.  Henrietta  Maria 
is  a  papist,  and  she  leads  King  Charles  astray. 

The  ladies  were  in  their  chambers.  Lord  Wey- 
262 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  263 

mouth  wandered  somewhat  restlessly  from  point  to 
point,  his  thoughts  busy,  his  eye  on  everything,  his 
hand  on  the  reins. 

Dinner  was  over.  Guests  from  far  and  near  were 
assembling,  and  it  was  almost  time  for  the  tourney. 
Lord  Weymouth,  on  the  terrace,  was  bowing  low 
over  the  hand  of  a  stately  dowager  in  velvet  and  dia 
monds,  when  a  rider  came  clattering  up  the  drive  at 
full  speed,  sprang  from  his  horse,  and  gave  one  quick 
glance  to  right  and  left. 

"This  for  my  Lord  of  Weymouth,"  he  said,  doffing 
his  cap  and  presenting  a  letter. 

My  lord's  face  changed  as  he  glanced  hurriedly  at 
the  seal  and  the  superscription,  —  "  For  the  hand  of 
the  noble  Lord  Weymouth.  Haste  —  post-haste !  " 

"  Give  this  man  food  and  rest.  Take  his  horse 
to  the  stables,"  he  said,  tossing  him  a  gold  piece. 
"  Your  pardon,  friends  and  neighbors.  I  will  be  with 
you  again  anon,"  —  and  he  withdrew  to  his  closet. 

Some  minutes  later  his  bell  rang  violently. 
"  Find  Master  Sandys,  and  send  him  hither  at 
once,"  said  he,  as  the  summons  was  answered. 

The  lackey  hesitated  and  stammered.  "  Sir,  — 
sir,  —  I  beg  my  lord's  pardon, — but  Master  Sandys 
is  making  ready  for  the  tourney.  He  is  arming 
himself  at  this  instant." 

"  Never  mind  that.  Make  no  delay.  Send  him 
hither." 


264  Iff  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

When  Robin  entered  the  closet  a  few  moments 
later,  having  waited  only  to  throw  a  long  cloak  over 
his  shirt  of  blue  Milan  steel  and  the  crimson  juppon 
embroidered  with  the  Weymouth  crest,  his  lord,  who 
was  pacing  the  room,  approached  him  hurriedly  with 
outstretched  hands. 

"  Robin,"  he  said,  huskily,  "  Robin,  I  am  in  sore 
trouble  and  perplexity.  I  must  put  thee  to  the  test, 
my  lad.  Wilt  thou  help  me  ? " 

His  face  was  pallid,  his  hand  trembled  as  Robin 
kissed  it,  saying  only,  "With  my  life,  if  need  be, 
my  lord.  What  wilt  thou  have  me  do  ? " 

"  Ride  to  Southampton  before  the  tide  goes  out,  — 
'twill  be  less  than  five  hours,  —  and  place  this  packet 
in  hands  of  Master  Sampson,  captain  of  the  ship  Falcon 
lying  there.  She  weighs  anchor  to-night  at  ebb-tide. 
Bid  him  make  all  speed  to  France,  and  deliver  the 
papers  as  directed  herein.  He  will  understand,  and 
will  obey  without  parley.  Canst  thou  do  it,  Robin  ?  " 

"There's  not  a  moment  to  lose,  my  lord,  but  I 
will  do  it  if  man  can.  Fanuella  has  speed  and  en 
durance.  We  can  but  try.  Hast  thou  any  further 
commands  for  me  ?  " 

"  Only  this.  Stop  at  the  sign  of  the  Dolphin, 
near  the  quay.  Here,  —  put  this  in  thy  pouch. 
'Twill  more  than  pay  thy  keep.  Ah,  but  thou  hast 
on  thy  mail !  I  had  forgotten  — 

"  My  lord,  my  lord,  think  not  now  of  that !     Only 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  26$ 

tell  me  how  to  serve  thee  best  and,  God  helping  me, 
I  will  do  it.  Shall  I  say  aught  else  to  the  captain  ? " 

"  Nothing  but  what  I  have  told  thee.  He  knows 
my  crest  and  seal.  Robin,  my  honor,  mayhap  my 
life,  is  in  thy  hands.  I  have  a  foe  who  seeks  to  com 
pass  my  ruin.  I  know  not  but  —  ' 

"  Nay,  nay,  my  dear  lord,"  cried  Robin.  "  Do 
but  tell  me  one  thing  to  give  me  courage.  Wilt 
thou  be  safe  if  I  do  this  thing  ? " 

"I  think  so.     I  trust  so." 

"  Then,"  dropping  on  one  knee,  "  give  me  your 
blessing  and  let  me  go.  We  do  but  lose  time,  and 
the  way  is  long." 

"  The  Lord  give  thee  strength  and  courage ;  the 
Lord  bless  thee  and  keep  thee,"  said  his  master, 
solemnly.  "  Now  fare  thee  well  —  and  see  thou 
speak  to  no  man  of  thy  mission." 

But  as  Robin  sprang  to  his  feet,  Lord  Weymouth 
flung  his  arms  around  his  neck,  strained  him  to  his 
breast,  and  kissed  him  twice  on  the  cheek,  crying 
again,  "  God  help  thee,  my  boy.  Now  go  !  " 

In  a  moment,  as  it  were,  Robin  had  flown  to  his 
chamber,  torn  off  his  gewgaws,  donned  his  riding 
suit,  and  was  in  the  stable  court.  Fanuella,  paw 
ing  and  prancing,  turned  her  head  as  she  heard 
his  step,  and  greeted  him  with  a  neigh.  She  was 
richly  caparisoned,  with  splendid  housings,  and 
embroidered  saddle-cloth.  The  amazed  grooms 


266  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

stared  as,  bidding  them  make  all  haste,  he  began 
to  unbuckle  her  gay  trappings. 

"Quick!"  he  cried.  "Bring  hither  my  lightest, 
strongest  saddle,  and  see  you  that  the  girth  be 
sound,  and  the  stirrups  right." 

With  a  sure  hand,  and  a  quick  eye,  he  himself 
tested  every  strap  and  buckle.  Then,  vaulting  into 
the  saddle,  he  shot  out  of  the  court,  like  an  arrow 
from  the  bow.  The  amazement  of  the  grooms  deep 
ened  into  awe  as  they  watched  his  flight. 

"By  the  great  sword  of  Gideon,"  exclaimed  the 
elder  of  the  twain,  who  boasted  that  in  his  youth 
he  had  been  in  Cromwell's  stables,  "here's  a  fine 
coil !  But  now,  Master  Sandys  was  all  agog  for 
tilting,  having  been  challenged,  as  the  say  is,  by 
Lord  Hargrave's  newy.  Now  there  he  goes  shoot 
ing  off  on  a  wild  tangent.  Hath  he  lost  his  stomach 
for  the  fight,  think  you,  Jock  ?  or  is  the  tourney 
off?" 

But  it  was  not  off.  Just  then  there  was  a  distant 
bugle  call,  and  Jock  and  Hobbs  scurried  away  to 
peep  through  the  palings,  and  get  a  glimpse  of  the 
tilting  ground. 

Robin,  too,  heard  the  bugle,  as  under  cover  of  the 
hedge  he  swept  around  the  corner3  and  dashed  by 
the  shortest  cut  through  the  park  to  the  highroad. 
It  would  be  idle  to  say  that  at  the  sound  his  heart 
did  not  sink  like  lead.  He  caught  his  breath  in  a 


IN  ICINGS'  HOUSES.  267 

half  sob,  as  he  rose  in  the  stirrups,  cast  one  look 
backward,  and  then,  with  a  low  cry  of  "  On,  on !  " 
to  Fanuella,  dashed  forward  with  the  speed  of  the 
wind.  He  had  had  no  time  to  think,  no  slightest 
wish  to  demur.  Yet  from  Lord  Weymouth's  first 
word,  one  vision  had  been  before  his  eyes.  He  had 
seen  the  long,  straight  lists,  the  gay  pavilions,  the 
marshals,  the  heralds,  the  horses  in  their  fine  array, 
the  gathering  of  the  panoplied  combatants.  Look 
ing  down  from  the  high  balconies  and  improvised 
galleries,  gay  with  hangings  of  many-colored  tapes 
tries,  and  astir  with  floating  banners,  while  the  royal 
ensign  waved  triumphantly  over  all,  were  the  Queen 
and  her  ladies,  all  for  whose  approval  he  cared  in 
the  small  world  of  Longleat,  all  the  strength  and 
beauty  of  Somerset.  He  heard  the  summons,  the 
challenge,  the  acceptance.  He  saw  Lady  Anne, 
with  the  soft  glow  on  her  cheeks,  the  tender  light 
in  her  eyes,  bend  forward  in  eager  search  of  her 
knight,  her  champion,  who  but  last  night  had  sworn 
himself  to  her  service,  he  to  whom  she  had  given 
the  dear  right  to  "  dream  awhile,"  and  to  wear  her 
favor  on  his  helm.  And  now !  Lord  Weymouth's 
hurried  words  had  made  him  aware  that  his  was  a 
secret  embassage.  His  absence  could,  for  the  pres 
ent  at  least,  be  neither  explained  nor  forgiven.  It 
must  be  set  down  to  fickleness,  or  to  rank  cowardice. 
His  lady  had  given  him  the  token  from  her  arm,  and 


268  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

to  all  appearance  he  had  dishonored  it.  He  had  not 
even  had  the  grace  to  restore  it  to  her,  unworn  and 
unsullied.  For  one  instant,  as  these  galling  thoughts 
swept  over  him,  he  checked  Fanuella's  headlong 
flight,  and  half  turned  her  towards  Longleat,  now 
dim  with  distance  on  the  sky  line.  Then,  with  a 
cry  of  dismay,  he  leaned  forward  till  his  brow 
touched  her  neck. 

"  Go  on,  go  on,  Fanuella !  "  he  cried.  "  Go  on, 
in  God's  name !  " 

For  some  time  he  was  on  familiar  ground,  and 
could  lessen  the  distance  a  trifle  by  short-cuts 
through  lanes  and  by-ways,  and  the  leaping  of 
hedges  and  ditches.  Then  he  struck  into  a  coun 
try  that  was  new  to  him,  and  the  only  safe  course 
was  to  keep  to  the  highway.  Men  and  women  at 
work  in  the  harvest  fields  lifted  their  heads,  and 
stared  after  him  as  he  shot  past  them  ;  old  crones 
at  cottage  doors  gazed  with  dull  curiosity ;  children 
laughed,  and  clapped  their  hands  gleefully,  thinking 
he  but  rode  a  mad  race ;  dogs  barked,  and  hens  and 
chickens  scurried  out  of  the  way,  like  coveys  of  par 
tridges  at  the  tread  of  the  hunter. 

The  sun  was  low  in  the  heavens  when  he  reached 
Salisbury,  and  threw  himself  from  his  reeking  mare, 
at  the  door  of  the  King's  Arms.  He  was,  perhaps, 
as  tired  as  she ;  but  he  followed  her  to  the  stable, 
to  oversee  the  care  given  her,  before  seeking  a  few 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  269 

moments  of  rest  and  refreshment  for  himself.  For 
if  she  should  fail  him,  what  then  ?  Another  horse  ? 
But  who  so  fleet  as  she  ?  And  who  but  she  knew 
his  very  thoughts,  read  his  moods,  and  could  respond 
to  the  exigency  of  every  moment  ? 

It  was  but  a  short  breathing  space.  Then  on, 
on  again,  crossing  rivers,  fording  streams,  climbing 
hills,  threading  valleys,  —  out  of  Wiltshire,  and  into 
Hants.  There  was  no  thought  now  of  Little  Lady, 
or  of  tournament,  or  favor.  All  feeling,  all  desire, 
was  merged  in  one  great  longing,  —  to  do  the  deed 
he  had  set  out  to  do.  His  heart  beat  heavily,  keep 
ing  time  to  the  measured,  monotonous  thud  of  Fanu- 
ella's  hoofs.  He  looked  anxiously  at  the  darkening 
heavens.  He  could  not  yet  catch  so  much  as  a  far- 
off  glimpse  of  the  roofs  and  spires  of  Southampton. 
Oh,  for  one  breath  of  the  salt  sea  on  his  forehead, 
that  he  might  know  the  goal  was  near !  For  he 
knew  it  must  be  almost  the  hour  of  ebb-tide,  when 
the  Falcon  would  weigh  anchor. 

Fanuella  was  growing  exhausted.  The  sweat 
poured  from  her  steaming  flanks.  She  turned  her 
head  slightly  from  side  to  side,  as  if  to  say,  "  Why 
so  cruel,  good  master?  Have  pity  and  give  me 
rest." 

But  still  he  goaded  her  onward,  now  with  light 
touch  of  spur,  now  with  entreaties,  love-words,  and 
caresses.  "  A  little  longer,  a  little  further,  for  God's 


2/0  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

sake,  and  if  thou  lovest  me,  Fanuella,"  he  cried, 
stroking  her  wet  mane,  and  touching  tenderly  her 
quivering  ears. 

And  at  last, — oh,  joy  !  Southampton  was  in  sight, 
and  he  could  see  the  tall  masts  of  the  Falcon  lying 
at  the  quay ! 

He  dashed  through  the  Norman  archway  of  the 
Bar  Gate,  and  down  High  Street  to  the  sign  of 
the  Dolphin.  He  threw  the  reins  to  a  groom. 

"  Care  for  her  well,  I  pray  you,  for  she  is  sore 
bestead.  I  will  be  back  ere  long,"  he  said,  and  went 
on  his  way  down  the  quay. 

The  gang-plank  had  been  removed,  and  with  many 
a  "  Yo,  heave,  ho  ! "  the  stalwart  sailors  were  cast 
ing  off  the  lines. 

"  Too  late,  my  hearty ! "  shouted  some  one  from 
the  deck,  as  Robin  ran  down  the  pier.  "  Too  late, 
now,  —  we're  off !  " 

Already  there  was  a  widening  strip  of  black  water 
between  the  ship  and  the  wharf.  He  measured  the 
distance  with  his  eye.  It  was  no  further  than  he 
had  jumped  many  a  time  when  matching  himself 
with  Ralph.  He  gave  one  great  leap  and  fell 
headlong,  —  but  it  was  on  the  low  deck  of  the 
ship. 

"  The  captain  !  "  he  shouted.  "  I  bear  despatches 
to  Captain  Sampson." 

"The  captain  deals  with  no  one  while  the  ship 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  2? I 

gets  under  way.  Even  a  landlubber  should  know 
that.  Bide  your  time,  lad  !  "  said  an  elderly  man 
in  a  rough  jerkin,  who  was  leaning  over  the  taffrail. 

"  Nay,  but  my  business  is  urgent.  I  must  speak 
with  him  at  once.  Where  is  he  ? " 

"Yonder,"  with  a  nod  of  his  head  over  his  left 
shoulder.  ".Go  your  own  gait,  if  you  must,  but  I 
warn  you  to  leave  him  alone." 

However,  Robin  faced  the  redoubtable  captain 
forthwith. 

"This  from  my  Lord  of  Weymouth,"  he  said, 
bowing  low.  "To  be  given  into  your  hands,  and 
yours  alone,  Sir  Captain,"  and  he  repeated  Lord 
Weymouth's  injunctions. 

The  captain,  with  one  eye  on  the  movements  of 
the  vessel,  and  shouting  out  orders  with  every  third 
breath,  scrutinized  the  packet  with  the  other  eye, 
closely  examining  the  crest  and  seal.  "It  is  my 
lord's,"  he  said  ;  "  I  will  do  his  bidding,  though  at 
some  cost  to  myself.  But  you  ?  Methinks  you  look 
blown.  Whence  come  you,  my  young  sir  ? " 

"From  Longleat." 

"To-day  ?     Then  go  you  below  and  rest." 

"  Not  so,  not  so  !  "  cried  Robin,  startled.  "  But 
now  that  I  have  done  my  task,  I  pray  you  to  put  me 
ashore." 

The  captain  demurred.  It  was  much  trouble.  It 
would  cause  delay.  He  could  do  it  for  no  man. 


2/2  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

'Twould  be  a  rare  chance  to  see  France,  such  as 
all  gallants  craved,  and  it  should  cost  the  young 
master  nothing.  And  in  less  than  a  month  he 
would  be  home  again. 

"Nay,  nay,  Sir  Captain,"  said  Robin.  "There 
need  be  no  delay  worth  the  counting.  No  need  to 
put  the  ship  about.  Do  but  lower  a  small  boat,  and 
let  one  good  oarsman  set  me  ashore.  He  can  over 
take  you  before  you  are  out  to  sea." 

At  last,  with  many  protestations  that  he  would  do 
it  for  no  man  on  earth  but  the  messenger  of  Lord 
Weymouth,  to  whom  he  was  much  beholden,  Cap 
tain  Sampson  gave  the  order,  the  small  boat  was 
lowered,  and  Robin  climbed  down  the  swaying  rope 
into  the  frail  shell  that  was  rocking  on  the  black 
waters  beneath  him. 

By  the  time  the  quay  was  regained,  it  was  quite 
dark.  The  moon  had  not  yet  risen,  and  the  whole 
deserted  pier  was  wrapped  in  dense  shadow.  With 
a  \word  of  thanks  and  a  douceur  to  the  solitary  oars 
man,  Robin  scrambled  up  the  wet  planks.  His  head 
was  in  a  whirl,  his  thoughts  in  strange  commotion, 
and  he  dropped  on  a  bench  to  recover  breath  and 
composure.  As  he  sat  there  in  the  chill,  damp 
darkness,  he  fell  into  a  dull  stupor,  thinking  nothing, 
feeling  nothing,  hearing  only  the  thud,  thud,  of 
Fanuella's  feet,  and  the  heavy  beating  of  his  own 
heart.  It  was  the  thought  of  her  that  at  last  stung 


"HE    DREW    HIS    PISTOL    FROM    HIS    BELT." 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  2?$ 

him  into  action,  and  half  stumbling,  half  groping,  he 
finally  made  his  way  back  to  High  Street. 

But  ere  he  had  gone  half-way  to  the  Dolphin,  out 
from  the  mouth  of  a  narrow  black  alley  a  roisterous 
group  of  men  and  boys  rushed  with  great  noise  and 
tumult,  —  wild,  turbulent  fellows,  more  than  half 
drunk,  and  wholly  bent  on  fighting  and  mischief. 
One  or  two  of  the  leaders  carried  dim  lanterns,  and 
all  were  well  armed  with  heavy  staves  and  cudgels. 
Seeing  in  their  way  a  youth  well  dressed,  and  appar 
ently  well-to-do,  they  dashed  towards  him  with  oaths 
and  curses,  bidding  him  stand  and  render  account  of 
himself. 

With  the  stirring  of  the  quick  instinct  of  self- 
preservation,  Robin's  brain  cleared  instantly.  He 
retreated  swiftly  to  the  wall,  and  drew  his  pistol 
from  his  belt.  But  the  movement  was  observed, 
and,  even  before  he  could  raise  and  cock  it,  a  power 
ful  blow  from  the  cudgel  in  the  hands  of  the  ring 
leader  knocked  him  prone  and  senseless. 

"  There !  take  that  for  drawing  your  fine  pistol  on 
the  likes  of  we !  "  he  shouted ;  and  a  second  blow 
would  have  fallen  had  not  one  of  the  men,  somewhat 
less  drunk  than  the  others,  caught  him  by  the  arm. 
These  were  troublous  times,  and  there  was  not  too 
much  law  and  order  in  the  realm,  yet  there  was  at 
least  the  semblance  of  it. 

"  Hold,  hold  your  hand,  you  fool,  as  you  would  not 


2/4  ™  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

be  fruit  for  the  gallows-tree  !  "  he  cried.  "  See  you 
not  that  you  have  stoven  in  his  head  already,  Jan 
Migglesworth  ?  A  pretty  kettle  of  fish,  this  !  Why 
did  you  not  parley  with  him  before  you  felled  un 
like  an  ox  ? " 

"Parley  with  a  drawn  pistoller?"  muttered  the 
other.  "  Marry,  I  be  no  such  curst  fool  as  that," 
and  he  reeled  away  while  the  rest  of  the  group,  half 
sobered,  brought  their  lanterns  nearer.  One  of 
them  bent  down,  pushing  aside  the  man  who  had 
interfered.  "  Methinks  he  be  gone  to  judgment, 
that  fine  chap,"  he  asserted,  after  due  consideration. 
"  But  he  be  a  Jacobite,  and  I  tell  ee  'tis  no  sin  to 
slay  a  Jacobite.  I  knows  that,  if  I  knows  naught 
else.  I  wants  no  Jacobites  !  The  devil  fly  away  wi' 
'em  all,  say  I !  " 

"  Aye !  aye !  we  wants  no  Jacobites,"  echoed  one 
and  another,  with  solemn  shakes  of  the  head,  but 
an  air  of  general  relief.  "  No  matter  if  Jan  Miggles 
worth  did  fell  un  like  an  ox." 

"  But  how  know  you  he  be  a  Jacobite  ? "  said  the 
first  speaker,  bending  over  the  prostrate  figure.  "  I 
see  no  sure  marks  on't.  He  be  a  comely  youth." 

"Let  me  tell  ee,"  replied  the  other,  straightening 
himself  up  for  a  speech.  "  Firstly,  he  hath  long 
hair  of  his  own,  —  like  Lord  Russell,  who  meddled 
wi'  the  Rye  House  plot ;  secondly,  he  hath  a  gold 
chain  under  his  doublet;  and  thirdly,  I've  seen 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  2?$ 

him  afore ! "  and  with  this  culmination  he  grinned 
triumphantly. 

"  Where  ?  where  ?  How  ?  how  ? "  burst  from  the 
gang. 

"This  night,  good  sirs,  this  night.  I  was  but 
coming  out  of  the  ale-house  yonder  when  I  see  him 
flying  down  the  quay,  like  a  dun  deer.  The  Falcon 
was  just  standing  out, — but  lo !  he  gave  a  great 
leap,  and  fell  aboard  her.  I  tell  ee,  the  devil  he 
holpeth  his  own !  Parson  says  so,  says  he." 

"Aye,  —  the  devil  he  holpeth  his  own,"  echoed 
the  bystanders,  with  preternatural  solemnity. 

"  But  how  comes  he  here  then,  if  the  devil  helped 
him  to  board  the  Falcon  f  Tell  me  that,"  said  the 
doubting  Thomas. 

"  I  watched  un,  I  did,  thinking  it  summat  queer. 
And  lo !  after  a  bit,  a  boat  put  off  wi'  un,  and 
brought  un  ashore.  See  you  that  now  ?  Be  he  not 
a  Jacobite  sending  mischief  over  to  France,  —  letters 
or  summat  ?  I  be  no  fool,  I  tell  ee  !  " 

Suddenly  he  stooped  down  and  seized  the  chain  of 
which  a  glint  showed  in  the  light  of  the  lanterns, 
drawing  forth  the  miniature  of  Gloster  which  Robin 
always  wore  under  his  doublet.  The  man  gave  a 
cry  of  exultation. 

"  Look  ee,  look  ee,  now !  said  I  not  he  was  a 
Jacobite?  Here  be  the  very  model  of  the  young 
prince  over  yonder,"  nodding  towards  the  French 


2/6  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

coast.  "  I  knows  un,  —  be  sure  I  do.  'Tis  his  very 
model,  I  tell  ee !  I  saw  un  once  when  I  was  in 
Flanders  fighting  for  the  crown.  He  tossed  me  a 
penny,  he  did." 

Just  then,  down  another  dark  alley,  came  a  still, 
slow  procession,  —  a  priest  who,  with  two  or  three 
attendants,  had  just  administered  the  viaticum  to  a 
dying  man. 

"  Hist !  hist !  put  out  the  lanterns  !  Here  comes 
Father  John,"  cried  one,  and  in  an  instant  all  was 
darkness. 

But  Father  John  had  good  eyes,  and,  moreover, 
the  moon  was  just  beginning  to  kindle  a  faint  glow 
in  the  eastern  sky.  He  caught  sight  of  the  half 
dozen  huddled  in  the  angle  of  the  wall. 

"  How  now,  my  men,"  he  said,  coming  to  a  stand 
still.  "  What  do  you  here  ?  Drunk  again,  Jack 
Watt  ?  But  what  devil's  work  is  this  ?  A  dead 
man?" 

Before  he  had  said  five  words,  most  of  the  men 
had  slunk  away,  one  by  one.  Only  the  two  who  had 
been  discussing  the  case  stood  their  ground. 

"  A  dead  man  ?  Simon,  go  you  to  the  ale-house, 
and  light  your  lantern,  —  quick  !  " 

The  man  obeyed  silently.  A  certain  reverence 
for  the  priesthood  was  still  ingrained  in  the  very 
bone  and  muscle  of  the  lower  classes.  If  their  so- 
called  betters  had  outgrown  it,  they  had  not.  As 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

for  this  especial  priest,  —  had  he  not  ministered  to 
their  own  sick  and  dying  in  the  midst  of  the  pesti 
lence  that  walketh  at  noonday,  never  once  asking 
whether  they  were  Papists  or  Protestants?  And 
was  he  not  known  to  be  a  loyal  Englishman,  in  spite 
of  his  cowl  ? 

Presently  the  lantern  was  brought,  and,  by  dint  of 
close  and  rapid  questioning,  Father  John  soon  be 
came  possessed  of  the  facts  in  the  case. 

"  Poor  lad  !  "  he  said,  lifting  the  blood-stained  hair 
and  examining  a  cruel  wound.  "  'Twas  a  fierce 
blow  brought  thee  to  this." 

"  But,  good  Father,  we  think  he  be  a  Jacobite," 
said  he  who  had  fought  for  the  crown,  by  way  of 
apology.  "  See  !  he  did  wear  this  about  his  neck  ! 
I  claim  it  as  salvage,  good  Father,  saving  your  Rev 
erence's  presence.  'Tis  but  a  worthless  figure  of 
the  young  prince,  —  him  some  folk  call  James  III." 

The  priest  took  the  miniature  and  looked  at  it 
closely  by  the  light  of  the  lantern,  and  then  slipped 
it  under  his  habit. 

"  Ye  fools  !  "  he  cried,  "  would  ye  add  robbery  to 
murder  ?  This  is  but  a  likeness  of  your  own  little 
Duke  of  Gloster,  rest  his  soul !  'Tis  not  Prince 
James,  though  somewhat  like  him,  I  do  confess,  they 
being  near  of  an  age  and  favoring  each  other.  He 
whom  some  of  you  have  slain  in  your  drunken  rout 
weareth  on  his  breast  a  likeness  of  the  Queen's  son, 


278  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

—  your  own  good  Queen  Anne.  Hear  ye  that,  ye 
blind  fools  ?  Moreover,  the  young  master  weareth 
on  his  sleeve  the  cognizance  of  the  noble  Lord  of 
Weymouth,  at  whose  mansion  of  Longleat  her  Maj 
esty  doth  tarry  even  now.  See  what  a  coil  you  are 
in,  my  overwise  masters  !  " 

But  there  were  none  to  listen.  At  his  first  word 
about  the  miniature  they  had  fled.  Be  it  said  here 
that  nothing  but  their  disordered  wits  and  their 
private  disputes  had  saved  their  victim  from  spolia 
tion,  as  well  as  cudgelling. 

Father  John  knelt  by  Robin's  side,  straightened 
the  cramped  limbs,  and  laid  his  ear  to  his  heart. 
"  I  think  he  yet  lives,"  he  said  to  his  attendants, 
"  though  'twas  a  cruel  blow,  and  he  hath  lain  a  good 
half -hour  without  help,  as  I  judge  from  his  hair, 
whereon  the  blood  hath  clotted.  Ye:  haply  he  may 
be  saved.  Go  you  quietly  for  a  litter,  Anthony, 
my  son,  and  we  will  bear  him  to  Domus  Dei,  in 
Winkle  Street.  I  do  abide  there  myself  at  times, 
and  haply  I  can  stay  and  nurse  the  poor  lad.  My 
heart  warms  to  him,  God  wot,  lying  here  in  his 
blood  and  stains." 

And  bowing  his  head,  he  told  his  beads  till  the 
litter  came. 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

WHEN  Robin  left  the  room  on  that  eventful  day, 
Lord  Weymouth  paced  the  floor  for  some  minutes, 
and  then,  gathering  his  mental  and  spiritual  forces 
together  by  a  great  effort,  he  rejoined  his  guests. 
If  he  was  paler  than  his  wont,  and  occasionally  a 
trifle  distraught,  what  wonder  ?  One  does  not  have 
the  honor  —  and  responsibility  —  of  entertaining  a 
queen  every  day  in  the  year,  and  but  seldom  even 
once  in  a  lifetime. 

All  was  merriment  and  lighted-hearted  jollity. 
Light  badinage  and  gay  repartee  ruled  the  hour. 
Lord  Weymouth  passed  from  group  to  group,  giving 
a  word  and  a  smile  here,  a  clasp  of  the  hand  there ;  or 
stood  at  her  Majesty's  right  hand  in  the  fair  balcony 
that  was  set  apart  for  her  use,  the  observed  of  all 
observers,  the  man  whom  the  Queen  delighted  to 
honor.  Little  did  she,  or  any  of  the  gay  throng 
assembled  at  Longleat  that  day,  dream  that  her 
courtly  host  had  learned  within  the  hour  that  which 
might  rob  him  not  only  of  honor  and  estate,  but 
even  of  life  itself.  And  this  mark  of  the  Queen's 
favor  had  only  hastened  the  crisis, 

279 


28O  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

What  was  the  trouble  ?  Nothing  more  than  this, 
which  was  quite  enough.  The  Jacobites  were  at 
odds  with  him,  covertly,  because  he,  who  had  for 
merly  been  one  of  them,  and  whose  own  son  had 
fallen  at  Sedgemoor,  had  given  up  the  Stuart  cause 
and  taken  the  oath  of  allegiance,  to  a  Stuart,  indeed, 
but  to  one  who  was  not  in  the  legitimate  line  of 
succession.  The  Whigs  were  at  odds  with  him, 
covertly,  for  the  same  reason,  with  a  different 
application.  He  had  been  a  Jacobite ;  therefore 
they  distrusted  his  professions  of  loyalty  to  the 
reigning  sovereign,  pretending  to  believe  him  ready 
on  any  auspicious  day  to  return  to  his  former  troth- 
plight.  Was  not  the  obstinate  old  Bishop  of  Bath 
and  Wells,  whom  no  power  on  earth  could  induce  to 
renounce  his  allegiance  to  King  James  and  his  son, 
the  closest  friend,  the  spiritual  adviser,  the  father- 
confessor,  so  to  speak,  of  Lord  Weymouth  ?  Had 
not  the  bishop  a  suite  of  rooms  at  Longleat,  where 
he  dwelt  a  good  part  of  the  year  ?  Moreover,  covet 
ous  eyes  looked  longingly  at  the  vast  estates  of  this 
man.  Many  an  impoverished  nobleman  had  been 
enriched  by  the  attainder  of  his  fellows,  and  what 
had  happened  once  might  happen  again.  The  charge 
of  treason  was  a  most  powerful  weapon,  and,  sooth 
to  say,  it  was  right  easily  wielded  in  these  days. 
Thus  Lord  Weymouth  was  between  two  fires. 

With  this  tangle  of  intrigue  and  falsehood,  how- 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  28 1 

ever,  this  story  has  happily  nothing  to  do,  save  in  its 
slight  connection  with  Robin  at  this  particular  junc 
ture.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  by  means  of  a  far-seeing, 
faithful  friend,  knowledge  of  the  trap  set  for  him 
reached  Lord  Weymouth  just  in  time;  and  the 
papers  placed  by  Robin  in  the  hands  of  Captain 
Sampson,  being  duly  delivered  by  that  worthy,  vin 
dicated  him  at  once  and  forever. 

But  Lord  Weymouth,  not  being  omniscient,  could 
not  know  this  on  that  July  day  ;  and  he  would  have 
given  the  half  of  his  fair  kingdom  for  leave  to  close 
his  gates  on  the  world,  and  be  alone  with  his  own 
thoughts.  There  were  minor  perplexing  questions, 
besides  the  one  great  one.  How  was  he  to  account 
to  the  Queen  for  Robin's  absence  ?  How  was  his 
sudden  removal  from  the  scene  to  be  explained  ? 
For  that  he  had  been  sent  to  Southampton  was 
something  that  could  be  told  neither  to  king,  queen, 
nor  commoner. 

Yet,  as  so  often  happens,  the  crossing  of  this 
bridge  was  less  formidable  than  he  had  feared.  The 
Queen  did  indeed  say,  as  the  day  closed : 

"I  hoped  our  prote'ge'  was  to  have  part  in  the 
tourney,  my  lord,  that  I  might  see  if  he  tilts  as  well 
as  he  dances." 

"Your  Majesty,"  was  the  answer,  "such  was  my 
intention  and  desire,  as  well  as  his  own,  and  I  regret 
the  failure  much.  But  at  the  last  moment  an  unfor- 


282  IN  KINGS1   HOUSES. 

tunate  contretemps  set  all  our  plans  agley.  I  count 
myself  lucky  that  the  tournament  did  not  fall  through 
altogether." 

The  Queen  laughed.  "  Was  there  trouble  in  the 
camp  ?  I  thought  you  somewhat  distraught,  my 
lord,"  and  then  the  conversation  drifted  away  from 
Robin,  and  was  not  again  renewed. 

Another  critical  moment  came  when,  on  the  next 
day,  the  Queen  and  her  retinue  left  Longleat. 
Would  she  call  for  Robin  ?  Would  she  command 
his  attendance  ?  It  must  be  confessed  that  these 
apparently  trivial  questions  disturbed  my  Lord  Wey- 
mouth  in  the  night  watches. 

But  the  Queen  was  tired,  and  did  not  leave  her 
chamber  till  the  very  last  half-hour.  Somerset  had 
assembled  in  full  force  to  escort  her  on  her  way; 
there  were  many  to  receive  and  many  farewells  to 
be  spoken.  As  Lord  Weymouth  led  her  to  her  car 
riage  she  cast  a  quick  glance  to  right  and  left. 

"I  do  not  see  Robin,"  she  said.  "My  lord,  tell 
him  when  next  we  go  to  Windsor  he  will  be  sum 
moned  thither.  Can  you  spare  him  ? " 

"Assuredly,  if  such  be  your  Majesty's  will.  Yet 
I  confess  I  would  fain  keep  him  as  long  as  I  may.  I 
take  great  joy  in  him."  Then,  hesitating  a  moment, 
he  added,  "  It  is  not  the  lad's  fault  that  he  is  not  in 
attendance  this  morning,  madam.  I  found  myself  un 
willingly  compelled  to  place  him  on  duty  elsewhere." 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  283 

Anne  smiled.  "  No  apology,  no  apology,  my  dear 
lord.  I  do  not  forget  that  he  is  in  your  service  now, 
not  mine.  Yet,  as  I  said,  we  shall  summon  him  to 
court  ere  long,  and  mayhap  give  him  a  chance  to  win 
his  spurs  in  France, —who  knows?"  and  the  ordeal 
was  over. 

Surprise,  sorrow,  dismay,  indignation,  —  it  would 
be  hard  to  say  which  of  these  held  strongest  sway  in 
Little  Lady's  heart  as  the  hours  of  the  tournament 
wore  away.  From  her  high  balcony,  where  she  sat 
with  the  Queen's  ladies,  she  had  watched  the  lists, 
expecting  every  moment  the  entrance  of  her  knight, 
her  champion,  him  whom  she  had  chosen  out  of  all 
the  world.  He  would  wear  her  favor  on  his  helm, 
or  bind  it  on  his  arm.  No  one  else  would  know ;  no 
eye  but  hers  would  see.  The  trifle  was  too  slight, 
too  inconspicuous,  to  attract  attention.  But  he  knew, 
and  she  knew,  and  that  was  enough.  It  was  their 
dear  secret,  sacred  to  them  alone. 

But  other  champions  came  and  went ;  and  Robin 
did  not  appear  in  the  lists.  The  tourney  was  over 
at  last.  What  did  it  mean  ? 

No  out-and-out  love-words  had  passed  between 
them.  She  acknowledged  that.  He  had  not  said, 
bowing  low  at  her  feet,  "Lady,  I  love  you,"  —  but 
only,  "  I  would  serve  you."  Yet  she  had  understood, 
or  had  thought  she  understood.  Was  not  service 
the  very  soul  of  love  ?  And  she  had  responded  with 


284  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES, 

none  of  the  coy  delays  and  hesitations  born  of  co 
quetry,  but  freely  and  honestly,  as  a  true  maiden 
should.  She  had  met  his  frankness  with  equal 
frankness  of  her  own. 

Had  she  misunderstood  him  ?  Had  she  childishly 
mistaken  the  simple  friendliness  born  of  old  associa 
tions  and  companionship  for  the  strong  love  of  man 
for  woman  ?  And  had  he  seen  this  with  wonder  and, 
mayhap,  repulsion  ?  Such  things  had  been,  she  had 
heard.  Her  cheeks  burned  at  the  thought,  and  then 
grew  white  with  indignation.  For  what  had  he 
meant  when  he  implored  leave  to  dream  awhile? 
What  could  he  have  meant  but  that  he  loved  her  ? 
Yet  now,  though  she  could  not  say  he  had  put  her 
to  open  shame  while  what  had  passed  between  them 
was  known  only  to  themselves,  he  had  acted  the 
unmanly  part  of  craven,  or  deceiver.  One  was  as 
bad  as  the  other. 

If  she  had  been  older,  her  woman's  wit  might  have 
found  some  way  out  of  this  dilemma.  But  as  it  was, 
her  very  self-consciousness  sealed  her  lips.  No  one 
knew  of  the  interview  between  herself  and  Robin  in 
the  picture-gallery,  and  now  no  one  must  ever  know. 

So  she  asked  no  questions  and  made  no  comments, 
but  sat  through  the  long  hours  of  the  tournament, 
half  blinded  and  deafened  by  the  tumult  of  her  own 
thoughts ;  and  she  danced  and  smiled  with  the  gay 
est  at  the  masque  and  banquet  that  followed,  only 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  285 

conscious  of  one  great  longing,  —  to  be  alone.  On 
her  way  to  her  chamber,  when  the  last  pageant  was 
over,  she  paused  a  moment  at  the  open  door  of  the 
picture-gallery.  It  was  late.  The  candles  had,  one 
by  one,  burned  low  and  gone  out ;  but  the  newly 
risen  moon  poured  a  flood  of  silver  radiance  through 
the  great  mullioned  window  with  its  triple  lancets, 
making  the  room  as  light  as  day.  The  laughing, 
chattering  maidens,  her  companions,  had  passed  on, 
and  she  heard  their  voices  in  the  distance,  the  gay 
good-nights,  and  the  closing  of  doors  as  each  passed 
to  her  own  apartment. 

Yet  still  she  lingered  here  where  but  last  night 
she  had  heard  his  voice,  wondering  vaguely,  as  she 
had  been  wondering  for  hours,  not  where  Robin  was, 
not  why  he  did  not  come  to  her,  but  what  it  all 
meant,  this  sudden  neglect  and  desertion,  after  the 
only  half-veiled  passion  of  yesterday. 

Suddenly  a  new  sheaf  of  arrows  from  the  ascend 
ing  moon  shot  athwart  the  drooping  banner  and  the 
seat  under  it,  and  something  on  the  floor  beneath  it 
glittered  in  the  moonlight.  It  was  the  little  silver 
arrow  that  had  fallen  from  her  hair  as  she  laid  her 
burning  forehead  on  the  cold  arm  of  the  settle  where 
but  last  night  his  hand  had  lain.  The  touch  of  the 
insensate  wood  thrilled  her  like  a  caress.  But  she 
did  not  see  the  arrow.  Thus  does  fate  play  at  cross- 
purposes  with  poor  humanity.  For  had  she  seen  it 


286  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

she  would  have  caught  it  to  her  heart,  her  lips,  in  an 
ecstasy  of  remorseful  tenderness.  All  the  recollec 
tions  of  childhood,  all  the  sacred  memories  of  Glos- 
ter,  all  she  had  ever  known  of  Robin  himself,  —  his 
loyalty,  his  truth,  his  knightly  courtesy,  his  unswerv 
ing  devotion,  —  would  have  rushed  over  her  with 
overwhelming  force. 

But  as  she  knelt  in  the  cold  white  light,  the  moon 
rose  higher  and  higher ;  it  passed  behind  the  broad 
eastern  tower,  it  mounted  to  the  zenith,  and  its  rays 
no  longer  streamed  in  at  the  mullioned  window. 
The  room  had  grown  dark  and  chill  when,  with  a 
wan,  white  face,  Anne  rose  from  her  knees,  unnerved 
and  trembling,  stole  into  the  corridor  again,  and  fled 
to  her  chamber. 

One  other  person,  and  only  one,  of  the  Queen's 
suite,  remarked  Robin's  absence,  unless  it  may  have 
been  some  demoiselle  who  had  thought  of  him  as  a 
prospective  partner  in  the  dance.  But  young  gal 
lants  were  not  rare  in  Somerset,  and  one  was  not 
greatly  missed.  That  other  person  was  Lady  Marl- 
borough.  The  next  morning,  on  her  way  to  the 
Queen's  chamber,  the  Mistress  of  the  Robes  met 
Little  Lady  in  the  corridor. 

"  Look  you,  my  Lady  Anne,"  she  said,  "  our  fine 
young  Master  Sandys  must  be  in  disgrace,  for  all 
that  my  Lord  Weymouth  made  such  haste  in  bring 
ing  him  to  kiss  the  Queen's  hand.  'Tis  passing 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  28/ 

strange  he  was  not  put  forward  with  the  best  of 
them,  in  the  lists,  yesterday.  Did  he  make  bold  to 
speak  to  you  of  the  tourney  when  you  danced  with 
him  that  first  night  ? " 

Lady  Anne  flushed  indignantly.  "  Nay,  I  asked 
him  no  questions.  Why  should  I  ?  But  why  do 
you  think  him  in  disgrace,  Lady  Marlborough  ? 
Surely  that  does  not  follow.  No  doubt  he  did  not 
choose  to  tilt." 

Lady  Marlborough  nodded  significantly.  "  He  did 
choose,"  she  said,  curtly.  "Young  Montague  —  ah, 
there's  a  gallant  worthy  of  the  court !  —  told  me  he 
was  to  tilt  with  Lord  Hargrave's  nephew.  'Tis 
quite  as  if  he  were  a  lord's  son  himself,  I  do  declare ! 
But  I  opine  we  have  heard  the  last  of  him.  I  tell 
you  he  is  in  disgrace,  and  Lord  Weymouth  is  know 
ing  to  it.  He  was  speaking  to  the  Queen  last  night, 
and  I  heard  him  declare  he  had  fears  lest  the  tourna 
ment  should  fall  through  altogether ;  "  and  she  swept 
on  her  way,  leaving  Anne  in  a  maze  of  bewilderment 
and  consternation. 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

THE  Queen's  visit  was  over,  and  Longleat,  after 
the  unwonted  excitement,  had  settled  back  into 
more  than  its  wonted  repose.  Jock  and  Hobbs  had 
made  a  slight  stir  in  the  stable  court,  by  their 
graphic  story  of  Master  Sandys' s  sudden  flight  on 
the  day  of  the  tournament.  But  Master  Sandys  was 
often  sent  hither  and  yon  on  my  lord's  private  busi 
ness,  and  this  was  no  nine  days'  wonder. 

For  some  days  Lord  Weymouth  was  not  much 
disturbed  by  his  courier's  prolonged  absence.  The 
ride  had  been  a  hard  one,  beyond  question,  and  both 
horse  and  rider  had  needed  rest.  But  as  day  after 
day  passed,  and  Robin  did  not  return,  his  anxiety 
and  suspense  became  unendurable.  It  is  difficult  for 
us  in  these  days,  when  time  and  space  are  not,  to 
realize  what  potent  factors  in  human  life  they  were 
two  hundred  years  ago.  Distance  was  distance  then, 
and  time  was  eternity.  The  lightning  had  no  swift 
messages  for  Longleat,  and  the  weekly  post  was  but 
a  tantalizing  mystery,  a  delusion,  and  a  snare.  Let 
ters  were  for  the  most  part  sent  by  private  messen- 

288 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES.  289 

gers  direct,  or  passed  from  hand  to  hand,  at  the 
pleasure  of  the  holder. 

But  there  was  a  post,  professedly,  between  Long- 
leat  and  Southampton ;  and  when  it  brought  no  letter 
from  Robin,  Lord  Weymouth  at  once  resolved  to  go 
in  search  of  him.  It  was  near  night  of  the  second 
day  when  he  alighted  at  the  sign  of  the  Dolphin, 
somewhat  travel-worn,  though  he  had  made  the  jour 
ney  as  deliberately  as  his  impatience  would  allow. 

But,  as  the  reader  very  well  knows,  Robin  was 
not  there.  He  described  him  minutely,  but  to  no 
avail.  Mine  host  of  the  Dolphin  was  positive  no 
such  young  gentleman  had  been  under  his  roof  for 
a  month,  or  had  sought  entertainment  at  his  hands. 

One  of  the  hostlers  plucked  him  by  the  sleeve, 
with  an  explosive  whisper  like  the  puff  of  a  bel 
lows  : 

"  The  mare,  master,  —  the  strange  mare !  Think 
you  of  her  ? " 

"Tush!  She  hath  naught  to  do  with  it.  Yet, 
stay  !  Diccon,  go  you  to  the  stable,  and  lead  her 
hither.  A  mare,  saving  your  lordship's  presence, 
that  has  been  fed  at  my  cost  for  a  full  week,  having 
been  dropped  here  one  night,  without  so  much  as 
'by  your  leave,'  by  a  young  gallant  in  a  desperate 
hurry,  who  promised  to  be  back  anon.  And  he  has 
never  given  us  scent  of  his  shoe  leather  since. 
There,  my  lord !  'Tis  idle  to  ask  it.  But  know 


290  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

you  aught  of  her  ?  She's  had  two  quarts  daily,  at 
my  cost,  and  a  fork  of  hay,  and  water  to  her  liking, 
and—" 

But  Lord  Weymouth  paid  no  heed  to  this  bill 
of  fare.  Fanuella,  looking  rough  and  unkempt,  but 
carrying  her  head  as  proudly  as  ever,  and  spurning 
the  very  stones  of  Southampton,  whinnied  wistfully 
when  she  heard  the  sound  of  her  own  name,  and 
trembled  with  delight  as  she  felt  the  touch  of  Lord 
Weymouth's  caressing  hand.  Her  evident  joy  was 
pathetic.  What  with  the  furious  course  hither,  her 
master's  desertion,  and  some  very  palpable  neglects 
since,  life  had  gone  hardly  with  her  since  she  left 
Longleat. 

Mine  host  was  quite  overwhelmed  with  consterna 
tion  and  remorse. 

"  Here,  Diccon,  thou  lazy  varlet,"  he  cried,  "  take 
you  this  fine  mare  of  my  lord's  to  the  best  stall,  and 
see  thou  dost  clean  her  well,  and  make  her  coat  to 
shine  like  my  silver  flagon,  or  'twill  be  the  worse  for 
thee !  'Tis  a  disgrace  to  an  honest  house  that  she 
should  be  so  ill-conditioned.  And  see  to  it  she  has 
her  fill  of  the  best  oats,  and  sweet-smelling  hay,  and 
a  warm  mash,  as  she  likes  it,  and  give  her — " 

"  I  but  did  thy  bidding,  master,"  growled  Diccon, 
as  he  led  her  away.  "Thou  didst  tell  me  to  keep 
her  alive,  but  to  waste  no  time  on  her ; "  whereat  the 
landlord  hastened  to  change  the  subject  by  a  flood 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  29! 

of  exclamations  and  wonderments  as  to  the  non- 
appearance  of  the  beautiful  young  gentleman  who  left 
her  at  the  Dolphin. 

Systematic  search  of  all  the  inns  in  Southampton, 
good,  bad,  and  indifferent,  failed  to  give  any  clue  to 
the  mystery.  The  ground  seemed  to  have  opened 
and  swallowed  Robin,  and  then  closed,  leaving  no 
trace  behind. 

Lord  Weymouth  returned  to  the  Dolphin,  ordered 
a  room  and  supper,  and  sat  down  to  consider  the  sit 
uation.  One  thing  was  absolutely  certain,  and  to  his 
perturbed  mind  it  seemed  the  only  one.  Robin  would 
never  have  left  Fanuella  in  the  lurch.  If  he  did  not 
return  to  the  Dolphin  and  to  her,  it  was  because  he 
could  not.  Where,  then,  was  he  ? 

The  landlord,  obsequious,  smiling,  and  eager  to 
make  himself  and  his  house  acceptable,  came  and 
went,  now  bringing  in  a  hot,  savory  dish,  and  now 
a  bottle  of  wine ;  but  Lord  Weymouth's  absorbed 
silence  gave  him  small  excuse  for  lingering.  On 
one  of  his  flying  visits,  however,  the  latter  spoke : 

"  Landlord,  did  you  see  the  young  man  your 
self?" 

"  Nay,  sir,  I  did  not.  I  was  at  my  supper.  None 
about  the  place  saw  him,  save  Diccon." 

"  Send  Diccon  to  me,  then.  And,  mind  you,  let 
him  come  alone." 

He  came. 


2Q2  IN  KINGS1  HOUSES. 

"  Now,  Diccon,  tell  me  of  him  who  left  the  mare. 
Did  he  seem  sore  spent,  or  in  ill  case  ?  " 

"Not  he,  your  honor.  He  was  red  as  a  lobster 
just  out  of  the  pot,  and  looked  as  he  had  had  a  hard 
pull ;  and  the  mare,  she  was  all  of  a  white  lather. 
But  he  were  not  sick,  sir.  Sure  I  be  o'  that." 

"  And  did  you  see  which  way  he  went  ?  " 

"  Straight  down  the  quay,  your  lordship,  where  the 
Falcon  was  lying,  on  a  keen  run.  An'  I  never  see 
hair  of  him  since,  though  he  tossed  me  the  reins 
as  fine  as  you  please,  an'  says  he,  '  I'll  be  back 
anon,'  says  he,  or  summat  like  it.  An'  I  never 
see  —  " 

"  That'll  do,  Diccon.     You  may  go." 

"  Thank  your  honor.  I'll  drink  your  health,  sir,"  as 
he  pocketed  some  silver.  Still  he  hesitated,  standing 
first  on  one  foot  and  then  on  the  other,  twirling  his 
thumbs. 

"  Well,  —  what  is  it  ? "  asked  Lord  Weymouth,  im 
patiently.  "  Have  you  aught  more  to  say  ?  If  so,  out 
with  it,  and  begone." 

"  My  lord,"  said  Diccon,  drawing  nearer  and  lower 
ing  his  voice,  "  will  I  run  round  to  Domus  Dei,  an* 
bring  Father  John  to  ye  ? " 

Lord  Weymouth  laughed  satirically.  "  Nay,  I  am 
in  no  need  of  religious  consolation,  —  yet.  I  want  no 
Father  Johns  to  shrive  me." 

"But   it   was  not  that  I   meant,"   cried   Diccon, 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES.  293 

"  Listen,  my  lord !  I  tell  ye,  mayhap  there's  more 
to't.  I  like  not  to  make  nor  meddle  wi'  such  doings, 
for  sake  o'  my  own  skin.  But  your  lordship  be  a 
free-handed  gentleman  an'  no  curmudgeon,  an'  'tis 
said  there  be  a  young  gallant  lying  at  Domus  Dei 
that  Father  John  picked  up  wi'  his  head  stove  in. 
That's  what ! " 

"  Why  in  the  name  of  heaven  did  you  not  tell  me 
this  before  ?  "  and  Lord  Weymouth  rose  hurriedly 
and  seized  his  hat  and  cane.  "  Show  me  the  way 
to  Domus  Dei  at  once,  Diccon,  and  you  shall  not  be 
the  loser.  Quick,  now  !  " 

They  passed  out  into  the  darkness  of  High  Street, 
went  down  nearly  to  the  quay,  and  turned  into  Win 
kle  Street.  When  they  came  in  sight  of  the  hos 
pital,  where  dim  lights  were  burning,  Diccon  drew 
back. 

"  That's  the  place,  your  honor,  and  there's  a  bell 
to  the  fore.  Please  your  worship,  I  never  make  nor 
meddle  wi'  —  " 

"Run  away  then,  —  run  away,"  tossing  him  a 
crown  piece.  Good  night  to  you,  Diccon." 

When  Lord  Weymouth  rang  the  bell,  it  was  an 
swered  by  the  sliding  of  a  square  panel  in  the  heavy 
oaken  door;  and  after  due  parleying  he  was  cau 
tiously  admitted  and  shown  into  a  small  parlor,  where 
Father  John  presently  joined  him.  His  guest's  per 
son  was  not  unknown  to  him. 


294  fff  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

"  It  is  my  Lord  of  Weymouth,"  he  said,  advancing 
cordially.  "  I  thank  the  Holy  Virgin  who  hath  sent 
thee  hither." 

"  Father  John  has  something  to  tell  me  then  ? " 

"  Be  seated,  I  pray  you,  for  'tis  a  long  story,  and 
my  lord,  — 

"  But  is  the  lad  here,  —  and  doth  he  live  ?  " 

"  Aye,  he  is  here,  and  he  lives.  Thanks  be  to  God, 
I  believe  he  is  likely  to  live.  But  he  hath  been  sorely 
dealt  with,  my  lord.  He  will  not  know  you.  Sit, 
I  pray  you,  for  there  is  no  need  of  haste  in  this 
matter." 

Gently  forcing  him  into  a  seat,  he  drew  a  chair 
beside  him  and  in  a  few  rapid,  graphic  words  told  the 
story  as  he  understood  it.  Lord  Weymouth  listened 
intently.  To  his  anxiety  for  Robin  another  was  being 
added. 

"But  tell  me,"  he  said,  at  length,  "what  think 
you  ?  Had  the  lad  been  on  board  the  Falcon  ?  I 
know  he  had  business  with  the  captain." 

"  I  think  so.  Indeed,  I  feel  sure  of  it,  unless  those 
varlets  lied,  —  which,  forsooth,  may  well  be !  But 
one  of  them  declared  he  saw  him  put  ashore  from  a 
small  boat  when  the  ship  was  well  out  to  sea,  and  I 
see  no  reason  for  his  lying  about  it,  unless  from  pure 
deviltry.  That  was  one  proof  that  he  was  a  Jacobite, 
to  their  thinking." 

Lord   Weymouth   drew  a  long  breath  of  relief. 


IN   THE    HOSPITAL. 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES.  295 

"So  far,  so  good,"  he  said.  "But  now  about  the 
poor  lad  himself.  Can  I  see  him  ? " 

"  If  you  wish.  No  harm  can  come  of  it,  and  no 
good  either,  unless  to  satisfy  yourself  as  to  his  con 
dition.  He  hath  not  been  himself  save  for  a  few 
moments,  now  and  then,  since  he  was  brought  hither 
a  week  ago.  But  come  you,  my  lord.  You  shall  see 
for  yourself." 

They  went  up  a  narrow  flight  of  stairs  into  a  long, 
low  room,  sparsely  furnished,  but  scrupulously  clean. 
On  a  low  cot  drawn  out  from  the  wall  lay  Robin,  his 
head  so  swathed  in  bandages  that  only  the  lower  part 
of  the  face  was  visible.  Kneeling  by  the  cot,  Lord 
Weymouth  laid  his  hand  on  his,  called  him  repeatedly 
by  name,  and  tried  to  draw  from  him  some  sign  of 
recognition.  But  there  was  no  response,  not  so 
much  as  the  quiver  of  a  muscle  or  the  clasp  of  a 
finger. 

"  Doth  he  lie  like  this  all  the  time  ?  Hath  he  no 
moments  of  consciousness  ?  Look,  now  !  He  moves 
his  hands.  He  seems  searching  for  something." 

Father  John  stooped  quietly,  and  turned  back  the 
coverlet.  "  It  is  but  this  he  wants.  It  has  slipped 
from  his  hand,"  he  said,  replacing  the  miniature  that 
was  slung  around  Robin's  neck  by  its  slender  chain. 
"  The  ruffians  that  felled  him  had  seized  it,  making 
excuse  —  as  if  they  ever  needed  excuse  for  thieving ! 
—  that  it  was  a  likeness  of  the  young  prince,  or  king, 


296  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

over  in  France.  I  knew  it  at  once  for  the  miniature 
of  the  Queen's  son,  who  died  some  years  ago,  —  the 
Duke  of  Gloster." 

"  Yes.  He  was  fond  of  this  poor  lad,  here.  The 
picture  was  the  Queen's  gift." 

"  In  a  day  or  two,"  went  on  Father  John,  "  when 
ever  he  was  not  quite  unconscious,  he  began  feeling 
restlessly,  for  I  knew  not  what,  —  feeling,  —  feeling, 
—  his  hand  creeping  about  his  neck  continually.  At 
last  I  bethought  me  of  the  picture,  and  put  the 
chain  on  him.  He  hath  been  quieter  since,  and 
keeps  it  in  his  hand  save  when  he  chances  to  lose 
hold  of  it,  as  he  did  but  now.  But,  my  lord,"  he 
continued,  as  he  crossed  the  room  to  a  cupboard,  and 
came  back  with  a  little  packet,  "  What  make  you  of 
this?" 

Lord  Weymouth  took  it,  held  it  to  the  light,  and 
examined  the  superscription  critically.  It  read,  "  For 
Little  Lady,"  —  just  that,  and  nothing  more. 

"  What  is  it  ? "  he  asked.  "  I  make  nothing  of  it ; 
nothing  whatever.  Who  is  Little  Lady  ? " 

Father  John  shook  his  head.  "  That  is  more  than 
I  know.  I  hoped  you  might  help  me  out.  It  may 
be  a  mere  vagary  of  his  wandering  brain,  and  it  may 
not.  But  let  us  go  below,  my  lord.  The  lad  seems 
to  hear  nothing,  to  regard  nothing.  But  one  never 
knows,  and  it  is  not  well  to  converse  by  a  sick 
bed." 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  297 

He  called  a  brother  who  was  telling  his  beads 
in  the  chapel  hard  by,  and  they  returned  to  the 
parlor. 

"  Now  tell  me,"  said  Lord  Weymouth.  "  What  is 
it  ? " 

"  Well,  my  lord,  I  can  soon  tell  you  all  I  know  of 
the  matter.  One  day,  —  'twas  the  third,  —  he  seemed 
a  trifle  clearer  in  his  mind,  and  as  I  sat  by  his  cot  he 
looked  steadily  at  me,  and  moved  his  lips  as  in  an 
effort  to  speak.  When  I  bent  my  ear,  he  caught 
hold  of  me  with  more  strength  of  grip  than  seemed 
to  belong  to  him,  and  cried,  softly,  '  The  favor,  father, 
the  favor ! '  Then  I,  knowing  naught  about  favors, 
made  as  if  I  did  not  hear,  and  after  a  brief  while  he 
fell  away  into  delirium  again.  As  I  sat  watching 
him,  trying  to  read  his  poor  wandering  thoughts,  — 
for  I  have  been  much  with  the  sick,  my  lord,  and 
know  they  must  be  humored  in  their  wild  fantasies, 
—  I  noticed  that  he  was  ever  making  a  motion  as  if  to 
wind  something  about  his  wrist.  And  then  I  remem 
bered  me  of  a  trifle  that  had  fallen  from  his  doublet 
that  first  night,  when  we  undressed  him.  'Twas  a 
long  thread  of  gold,  such  as  a  lady  might  wear  for 
an  armlet ;  and  hanging  thereon  was  a  little  trinket, 
like  the  amulets  the  Crusaders  brought  from  East 
ern  lands.  The  Church  has  many  such  in  her  treas 
uries." 

"  But  the  lad  had  no  such  toy,"  cried  Lord  Wey- 


298  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

mouth.  "  If  he  had  had  such  a  curious  trinket,  I 
should  have  seen  it.  He  has  lived  with  me  long." 

"  I  know  not  how  that  may  be,"  said  Father  John  ; 
"  I  only  know  it  fell  to  the  floor  as  we  were  getting 
his  doublet  off,  and  I  picked  it  up  and  put  it  in  my 
pouch  for  safe  keeping.  Seeing  he  slept  at  last,  I 
got  the  toy  and  put  it  where  he  might  see  it  on 
awakening.  I  was  right,  my  lord.  When  he  saw  it 
he  smiled,  and  put  it  to  his  lips ;  and  then,  as  if  striv 
ing  to  bring  back  something  that  was  fading  out  of 
memory,  he  looked  at  me  with  eyes  that  were  like  a 
prayer.  '  Little  Lady,  Little  Lady/  he  whispered, 
and  put  the  trinket  in  my  hand.  Then,  to  help  him, 
I  said,  '  And  what  am  I  to  do  with  it,  my  son  ? '  and 
again  he  whispered,  'Little  Lady,  Little  Lady.'  I 
know  not  how  it  was,  my  lord,  for  it  was  like  a  dream 
to  me  afterwards,  and  sure  am  I  he  spoke  few  words, 
and  those  not  clearly.  But  somehow  he  made  me 
understand  I  was  to  put  it  up  in  a  packet ;  and  then 
he  motioned  to  the  inkhorn  on  the  table  where  I 
had  been  making  up  my  accounts.  '  And  who  is  it 
for  ? '  I  asked,  seeing  he  meant  me  to  address  it. 
And  as  I  live,  and  believe  in  God,  he  answered,  '  Lit 
tle  Lady,' — and  then  not  another  word  could  I  get 
out  of  him.  So  I  wrote  it  down  as  you  see,  and 
there  it  is." 

"  And  has  he  thought  of  it  since  ? " 

"He  has  not  spoken  of  it,  nor  of  any  Little  Lady. 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  299 

No  doubt  he  has  forgotten  the  whole  story.  'Twas 
a  cruel  blow  they  gave  him,  and  his  wits  are  all 
astray.  But  keep  you  that,  Lord  Weymouth.  I  like 
not  to  have  the  care  of  it,  lest  it  should  be  lost." 

They  talked  long  of  the  case,  of  its  dangers  and 
its  problems ;  and  then,  after  a  parting  look  at 
Robin,  Lord  Weymouth,  at  once  distressed  and 
relieved,  returned  to  the  Dolphin,  promising  to 
come  again  in  the  morning. 

Seated  in  his  room,  he  drew  the  packet  from  its 
hiding-place. 

"  Little  Lady,"  he  said,  musingly.  "  Little  Lady. 
Tis  but  the  wandering  of  the  poor  boy's  wits.  I 
know  of  none  whom  he  doth  ever  call  Little  Lady, 
and  he  was  but  a  lad  when  he  came  to  me,  —  too 
young  for  love-fancies.  Yet  to  some,  as  I  know 
right  well,  they  come  early  and  stay  long.  He  was 
ever  old  for  his  years." 

Turning  the  packet  over,  he  was  about  to  cut  the 
skein  of  yellow  silk  Father  John  had  bound  about 
it,  when  an  impulse  of  delicacy,  sensitiveness,  tender 
ness,  —  what  you  will,  —  restrained  his  hand.  "  Nay, 
I  cannot  do  it,"  he  said,  flushing.  "  Whatever  it 
is,  'tis  the  boy's  secret.  Let  him  keep  it ! " 

The  next  morning  he  went  early  to  Domus  Dei. 
Father  John  met  him  at  the  portal  with  a  smiling 
face.  "  Good  news,  my  lord,"  he  cried,  with  out 
stretched  hand.  "He  hath  had  a  quiet  night,  and 


300  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

hath  rested  fairly  well  without  sleeping-draughts. 
His  mind  seems  somewhat  clearer,  and  the  fever, 
which  I  feared  greatly,  hath  left  him.  Come  you 
up;  come  you  right  up  and  see  if  he  will  know 
you ! " 

But  he  did  not,  and  was  lying  again  in  a  state  that 
seemed  almost  unconsciousness. 

Some  of  the  bandages  had  been  removed,  and 
Lord  Weymouth  was  able  to  see  more  clearly  the 
nature  and  extent  of  the  blow  to  which  Robin  had 
succumbed. 

"  Had  the  varlet's  cudgel  struck  half  an  inch 
lower,"  said  Father  John,  "it  had  been  the  last 
of  him.  See ! "  and  he  bent  cautiously  over  the 
dark  head,  disfigured  by  sundry  plasters  and  cata 
plasms.  "  The  fracture  runneth  from  here  to  here, 
and  there  are  sundry  bad  bruises,  also.  But  it  is 
healing  well,  that  wound.  He  will  live,  my  lord, 
he  will  surely  live.  When  he  first  wakened  this 
morning,  he  was  quite  himself  for  five  minutes,  and 
took  some  porridge." 

"  Shall  I  try  to  rouse  him,  Father  John  ?  What 
say  you  ? " 

"Nay,  let  him  be;  let  him  be.  Nature  is  wiser 
than  we  are,  and  knows  what  is  best  for  him.  Let 
him  be  quiet.  My  lord,  you  can  do  no  good  here. 
It  may  be  many  days  before  the  lad  can  have  any 
converse  with  you.  Go  you  home  to  Longleat  and 


IN  KINGS1   HOUSES.  30 1 

be  at  peace ;  and  by  every  post  I  will  send  you  word 
of  him.     Go  you  home." 

And  thus,  after  much  further  deliberation,  it  was 
settled.  The  next  day  Lord  Weymouth  departed, 
leaving  the  treasury  of  Domus  Dei  in  much  better 
condition  than  he  found  it. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

THE  next  post  brought  word  that  Robin  was,  on 
the  whole,  better,  though  still  unconscious  much 
of  the  time.  The  second  gave  a  more  encouraging 
report,  and  in  the  third  letter  Father  John  grew 
jubilant. 

"The  lad  tires  of  Domus  Dei,"  he  wrote.  "'Tis 
a  good  sign.  He  wearies  of  confinement.  By  your 
leave,  my  dear  lord,  I  will  e'en  get  me  a  gentle 
palfrey,  such  as  will  not  rack  my  old  bones,  and 
bring  him  to  Longleat  myself.  By  slow  stages,  if 
need  be ;  but  get  there  we  will  in  due  time.  Fret 
not,  if  we  are  long,  for  if  aught  goes  wrong  I  will 
find  means  to  let  you  know.  Peace  be  with  you." 

And  so  Diccon  brought  Fanuella  around  to  Domus 
Dei,  where  the  gentle  palfrey  was  waiting  for  Father 
John ;  and  a  proud  and  happy  creature  was  she 
when  her  young  master  was  again  astride  her.  How 
much  she  understood,  this  chronicler  does  not  under 
take  to  say.  But  she  stood  quietly  on  four  feet, 
instead  of  three,  or  less,  arching  her  neck,  and  look 
ing  around  with  long,  sidewise  glances,  as  he  who  was 
wont  to  vault  to  the  saddle  at  one  bound,  mounted 

302 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES.  303 

slowly,  by  the  help  of  Diccon  and  the  horse-block ; 
and  then,  instead  of  prancing  off  in  her  usual  gay 
fashion,  soberly  awaited  the  word  of  command,  and 
moved  sedately  up  through  the  Bar  Gate,  and  off 
into  the  fair,  still  country  lanes. 

As  for  Robin,  it  seemed  to  him  that  ages  had 
passed  since  he  and  Fanuella  had  taken  that  long 
frantic  ride  together.  Something  had  gone  out  of 
him,  —  youth,  and  hope,  and  buoyant  energy  that 
knew  neither  fatigue  nor  weakness.  A  very  dif 
ferent  journey  was  this.  Father  John  knew  the 
country  as  one  knows  a  map,  every  lane  and  byway. 
He  avoided  the  great,  dusty  highroads  and  the  noisy 
towns ;  and  after  a  dozen  miles,  or  less,  in  the  cool, 
dewy  mornings,  at  the  slightest  sign  of  weariness 
on  the  part  of  his  charge,  he  would  order  a  halt  at 
some  quiet,  shady  little  inn,  where  Robin  was  made 
to  undress  and  go  to  bed,  will  he,  nill  he.  And  it 
may  be  the  long,  placid  hours  when  Father  John  sat 
quietly  by  his  bedside,  his  very  presence  a  benedic 
tion,  and  the  low,  quiet  talks  when,  on  the  borders 
of  some  village  green,  they  sat  together  under  the 
spreading  boughs  of  ancient  oaks,  or  stately  syca 
mores,  —  talks  that  touched  on  all  high  themes  of 
earth  and  heaven, — ministered  to  his  needs  in  a  way 
that  was  beyond  the  reach  of  drugs,  however  potent. 

Robin  was  a  Protestant,  and  a  loyal  one.  For 
years,  now,  he  had  been  under  the  direct  teaching 


304  IN  KINGS'1    HOUSES. 

and  influence  of  Thomas  Ken,  who  wrote  himself 
"  Late  Bishop  of  Bath  and  Wells ; "  an  influence 
as  powerful  for  good  over  the  young  men  at  Long- 
leat  as  it  had  once  been  over  the  lads  at  St.  Mary's, 
for  whom  he  wrote  his  morning  and  evening  hymns. 
Yet  here  was  Father  John,  with  his  tonsured  head, 
his  cowl,  and  rosary ;  and  his  "  confessions "  were 
as  saintly  as  those  of  St.  Augustine,  coupled  with  a 
worldly  wisdom,  and  a  knowledge  of  common  human 
nature  as  profound  as  Bishop  Ken's.  Who  shall  say 
that  the  wider  sympathies,  the  broader  outlooks,  that 
came  to  Robin  through  this  experience,  were  not 
worth  all  the  pain  through  which  they  were  won  ? 
In  after-years,  he  looked  back  to  this  loitering  jour 
ney  with  Father  John  as  to  some  blessed  pilgrimage. 

They  were  a  full  week  on  the  way,  and  when  they 
at  last  reached  Longleat,  the  great  court  rang  with 
welcomes.  Even  Gaffer  Ambrose  hobbled  forth  to 
meet  them,  not  being  quite  clear  in  his  mind  as  to 
the  nature  of  the  trouble  that  had  befallen  Robin, 
yet  feeling  morally  sure  that,  in  some  unaccountable 
way,  Queen  Henrietta  Maria  was  at  the  bottom  of 
it  all. 

No  need  to  tell  of  Robin's  last  talk  with  Father 
John  that  night,  nor  of  a  still  longer  one  that  fol 
lowed  between  Father  John  and  Lord  Weymouth. 
And  the  next  morning  Father  John  and  the  palfrey 
ambled  back  to  Southampton. 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES.  305 

He  had  told  Lord  Weymouth  that  Robin  had 
never  again  alluded  to  the  packet  so  strangely 
directed.  Either  he  had  quite  forgotten  the  mat 
ter,  or  he  supposed  it  had  reached  its  destination, 
and  was  satisfied.  But,  as  the  days  went  by, 
Lord  Weymouth  himself  was  not  content.  He 
watched  Robin  narrowly,  seeing  that  strength  and 
vigor  did  not  return  to  him  as  Father  John  had 
prophesied.  What  was  wrong  with  the  lad  ?  Had  the 
packet  anything  to  do  with  it  ?  Its  possession  be 
came  an  incubus,  a  nightmare.  It  might  be  of 
consequence,  or  it  might  not.  In  either  case,  what 
right  had  he  to  hold  it,  now  that  Robin  was  able  to 
speak  for  himself? 

So  one  night  when  Robin,  who  had  insisted  upon 
taking  up  his  old  duties,  one  by  one,  brought  the 
sleeping-cup  to  the  fair  chamber,  with  the  outlook 
towards  Heaven's  Gate,  he  found  his  lord  sitting, 
as  before,  in  the  great  chair  under  the  hanging-lamp. 
A  small  packet,  tied  with  a  yellow  thread,  lay  on  the 
table  beside  him. 

As  yet,  nothing  had  passed  between  them,  bearing 
directly  on  his  errand  to  Southampton  or  its  results, 
all  mention  of  exciting  topics  having  been  forbidden 
by  Father  John.  But  to-night,  as  Robin  presented 
the  cup,  he  said,  "  My  lord,  I  have  not  asked  you, 
but  I  long  to  know.  Is  all  right  ?  I  delivered  the 
papers  as  you  bade  me." 


306  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

"Sit  here,  my  son,"  —  a  name  which  brought  the 
swift  color  to  Robin's  cheek.  "  Sit  here  beside  me, 
and  let  us  talk  awhile.  Yes,  all  is  right.  The  net 
was  skilfully  woven,  but  it  broke,  and  the  bird 
escaped.  Some  day  you  shall  know  from  what  a 
tangled  coil  you  set  me  free,  —  but  at  what  sore  cost 
to  yourself !  It  cuts  me  to  the  heart  to  think  of  it." 

"Think  not  of  it,  then,  my  dear  lord.  Had  I 
gone  on  any  other  errand,  the  ruffians  might  have 
felled  me  all  the  same.  No  doubt,  I  shall  have 
harder  knocks  by  and  by,  when  I  set  out  to  seek 
my  fortune,  and  win  my  spurs ; "  and  he  laughed 
lightly. 

Lord  Weymouth  sat  in  thoughtful  silence  for  a 
moment,  and  then  took  the  packet  from  the  table. 
"This  is  something  that  belongs  to  you,"  he  said. 
"  When  you  were  at  the  worst  you  bade  Father  John 
deliver  it  as  directed." 

Robin  received  it  carelessly,  then  turned  it  over. 
"Little  Lady!  "  he  cried,  coloring  deeply.  "Surely 
I  said  naught  to  Father  John  of  her,  —  of  Little 
Lady !  What  does  it  mean,  my  lord  ? " 

"  That  is  for  you  to  say.  I  know  not.  But  open 
the  packet.  There  is  something  enclosed." 

Robin  hesitated  for  a  moment,  and  cut  the  string. 
"  It  should  have  been  sent  at  once  to  the  Lady  Anne 
Gascoyne,  as  I  directed.  See,  my  lord !  'Tis  but 
a  favor  she  gave  m^  to  wear  at  the  tournament.  I 


IN  KINGS*  HOUSES.  307 

dishonored  it,  in  seeming,  by  my  non-appearance. 
All  I  could  do  was  to  return  it,  as  I  bade  Father 
John.  I  did  not  think  he  would  have  played  me 
such  a  scurvy  trick." 

"But,  my  dear  fellow,  you  do  not  see,  you  do 
not  understand.  How  could  Father  John  post  the 
packet  to  '  Little  Lady  ? '  Tell  me  that !  " 

Robin  turned  the  folded  paper  over  and  over,  still 
bewildered.  "  He  should  have  sent  it  to  Lady  Anne 
at  once,  as  I  besought  him." 

"  But  you  said  nothing  of  Lady  Anne  Gascoyne. 
How  was  he  to  know?  You  spoke  only  of  some 
child, — this  'Little  Lady.'" 

"  Was  I  such  an  imbecile  as  that,  my  lord  ? "  in 
a  tone  that  had  even  a  shade  of  awe  in  it.  "  It 
must  have  been  worse  with  me  than  I  knew.  I  have 
been  in  bad  case,  surely." 

He  had  not  yet  wholly  lost  the  air  of  bewilder 
ment,  and  drew  his  hand  thoughtfully  across  his 
forehead  with  a  sigh. 

"  But  why  '  Little  Lady '  ?  "  asked  Lord  Wey- 
mouth,  an  irrepressible  smile  just  touching  the  cor 
ners  of  his  mouth.  "  I  should  hardly  think,  myself, 
of  calling  that  tall,  lithe  young  demoiselle  'little;' 
though,  to  be  sure,  she  is  somewhat  diminutive  as 
compared  with  her  Majesty,  or  even  with  that  stately 
personage,  my  Lady  Maryborough,"  and  he  laughed 
outright.  "  Moreover,  it  seemeth  to  me  rather  famil- 


308  IN  KINGS*  HOUSES. 

iar,  considering  all  things.  What  think  you  on  that 
point,  my  lad  ? " 

Robin  was  silent  for  a  moment,  flushing  deeply. 

"The  reproof  is  well  put,  my  lord,  but  indeed  I 
do  not  deserve  it.  I  have  only  reverence  for  the 
Lady  Anne  Gascoyne.  I  have  known  her  these 
many  years.  She  was  often  at  Windsor  with  the 
princess  when  we  were  but  children ;  and  the  name 
written  here  is  one  I  was  used  to  give  her  then." 

"  Ho,  ho  !  I  see.  So  you  had  met  before  ?  And 
she  gave  you  the  favor  ?  " 

"  I  begged  it  of  her,  and  then  I  did  not  wear 
it." 

Lord  Weymouth  looked  at  him  keenly  from  under 
his  shaggy  gray  eyebrows.  He  was  long  past  mid 
dle  age;  but  more  than  most  men,  perhaps,  he 
remembered  the  heart  of  youth.  Robin's  eyes  were 
downcast,  and  only  the  firm  compression  of  his  lips 
kept  them  from  a  trembling  betrayal.  The  elder 
man  saw  very  clearly  what  his  prompt,  unquestion 
ing  obedience  must  have  cost  him. 

"  I  see,"  he  said,  again.  "  It  was  hard,  my  boy. 
I  would  I  could  have  spared  you  this.  And  yet  —  " 

It  was  his  turn  to  hesitate,  and  he  paused  long; 
but  for  the  boy's  own  sake,  his  thought  must  out. 
He  laid  his  hand  on  his  knee. 

"  Laddie,  perhaps  it  was  as  well.  Do  you  know 
aught  of  Lady  Anne's  history  ?  her  lineage?  " 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  309 

"  Nothing  save  what  she  told  me  herself  many 
years  ago, — that  her  father  was  slain  on  Tower  Hill, 
and  of  her  life  since,  which  hath  been  somewhat 
lonely." 

Lord  Weymouth  lifted  his  eyebrows.  Confidences, 
then,  had  been  exchanged  between  these  two  young 
people. 

"  Yes ;  but  she  belongs  to  one  of  the  oldest  and 
noblest  houses  in  the  realm.  Lord  Gascoyne's  un 
fortunate  death  does  not  alter  that  fact.  Then,  too, 
she  is  her  Majesty's  godchild,  and  I  am  assured  she 
will  have  a  fine  dowry.  Lady  Anne  can  send  her 
arrows  high.  Lord  Dalkieth  is  even  now  a  suitor 
for  her  hand,  and,  if  I  mistake  not,  there  are  others." 

Robin  started  as  if  he  were  stung,  — then  rose  and 
walked  to  the  window.  When  he  turned  to  Lord 
Weymouth  again  his  lips  had  lost  somewhat  of  their 
firm  tension. 

"I  thank  you,  my  dear  lord,"  he  said,  "and  I 
understand.  I  have  naught  whatever  to  offer  to  the 
Lady  Anne  Gascoyne,  —  neither  wealth,  nor  name, 
nor  aught  else.  I  will  remember.  But,  my  lord  ? " 

"Well?" 

Then,  greatly  touched  by  the  pride  and  self-re 
straint  that  held  him  in  leash,  he  laid  his  hand  on 
Robin's  shoulder. 

"  Believe  me,  I  speak  thus  only  to  save  you  greater 
pain,  hereafter.  'Tis  but  to  put  you  on  your  guard 


3IO  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

against  yourself,  my  boy.  Can  I  do  aught  for 
you  ? " 

"  You  are  versed  in  all  courtly  ways,  sir.  Tell  me 
what  I  shall  do  with  this  bauble  ?  Have  I  the  right 
to  keep  it  ?  " 

His  lordship  pondered  a  moment. 

"  I  think  it  would  be  wiser  to  restore  it  to  the 
lady,"  he  said.  "The  Queen  is  at  Kensington,  and 
I  shall  send  a  courier  thither  to-morrow.  Write,  if 
you  wish.  Surely  there  is  no  harm  in  that." 

This  is  what  he  wrote  : 

He  to  whom  the  Lady  Anne  Gascoyne  gave  this  favor 
returns  it  because  he  must.  Though  he  may  seem  so,  yet  he 
is  neither  an  ingrate,  craven,  nor  disloyal.  But  since,  as  she 
knows,  he  did  not  wear  this  jewel  in  the  lists,  he  has  no  right 
to  keep  it. 

Long  he  brooded  over  this  short  note.  What 
more  could  he  say  ?  A  partial  explanation,  wrapped 
in  mystery,  was  worse  than  none  at  all.  He  was 
chilled,  too,  by  the  fresh  sense  of  the  distance  be 
tween  them.  What  right  had  he  to  assume  that  she 
cared?  So  he  signed  his  name,  saying  nothing 
more. 

In  a  week  the  courier  returned.  Robin  was 
summoned. 

"Communications  from  Kensington,"  said  Lord 
Weymouth,  dryly,  "and  this  for  you." 


IN  KINGS1  HOUSES.  311 

Lady  Anne  had  sent  the  armlet  back,  without  a 
word.  The  act  was  significant,  —  but  of  what  ?  Per 
haps  Lord  Weymouth  was  a  trifle  astonished,  not  to 
say  dismayed.  He  belonged  to  his  age  and  his  envi 
ronments.  Much  as  he  cared  for  Robin,  when  it 
came  to  the  question  of  love  and  marriage  it  must 
be  confessed  his  inherited  prejudices  were  somewhat 
at  war  with  his  affection.  His  eyes  followed  him  as 
he  gravely  and  silently  received  his  treasure  and 
walked  off  with  it,  betraying  his  delight  only  by  a 
more  elastic  step  and  prouder  bearing,  of  which  he 
was  himself  quite  unconscious. 

My  lord  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "  I  know  not 
what  will  come  of  this.  Old  Lord  Dalkieth  must 
fight  his  own  battles,  and  he  may  lose  the  day.  It 
looks  mightily  as  if  my  Lady  Anne  had  a  mind  of 
her  own,"  he  thought,  as  he  settled  down  to  the 
consideration  of  his  own  affairs. 

Yet  the  return  of  the  trinket,  with  no  words  of 
explanation,  was  surely  open  to  two  interpretations ; 
and,  after  the  first  flush  of  joy  had  passed,  Robin 
grew  aware  of  this.  The  Lady  Anne  might  have 
sent  the  little  armlet  back  to  him  disdainfully,  thus 
paraphrasing  the  old  song,  "What  you've  touched 
you  may  take."  Or,  it  might  have  been  returned  as 
a  pledge  of  amity,  a  token  of  forgiveness.  Which 
was  it  ? 

That  night,  Robin,  whose  chamber  had  been  for  a 


312  IN  KINGS1  HOUSES. 

long  time  one  of  a  suite  connected  with  his  lord's 
private  apartments,  crossed  the  inner  court  in  pursuit 
of  Ralph  Montague.  It  was  a  moonless,  starless 
night.  The  chill  of  early  autumn  was  in  the  air,  and 
the  frogs  croaked  dismally.  Turret  and  tower,  bar 
bican  and  parapet,  stood  black  and  frowning  against 
a  leaden  sky,  —  a  strange  contrast  to  that  night  of 
the  Queen's  visit  when  they  had  soared  upward  in 
the  moonlight,  gleaming  like  molten  silver.  Robin 
shivered  as  the  wind  swept  around  the  corner,  and 
drew  his  collar  more  closely  about  his  ears.  But 
presently  he  caught  sight  of  Ralph's  window,  from 
which  the  red  rays  of  a  lamp  were  streaming. 

The  young  men  of  Lord  Weymouth's  household 
were  not  encouraged  in  any  undue  luxury,  but  Mon 
tague  was  a  bit  of  a  sybarite  in  his  way,  and  gathered 
to  himself  warmth  and  beauty,  brightness  and  color, 
as  instinctively  as  a  bee  gathers  honey.  Robin 
smiled  as  he  mounted  the  stairs  and  stood  in  the 
doorway  of  the  small  chamber,  so  great  was  the  con 
trast  it  presented  to  the  barrack-like  quarters  with 
which  the  other  squires  were  well  content. 

"  Tapestry  fit  for  the  King's  anteroom,"  he  cried, 
laughing,  —  "  and,  on  my  word,  a  rug  from  Ispahan, 
and  trinkets  enough  for  my  lady's  chamber !  Your 
finery  puts  us  all  to  shame,  Ralph.  Has  your  lady 
mother  never  a  girl,  that  you  are  so  tricked  out  ? " 

Ralph  shrugged  his  shoulders,  "Aye,  plenty  of 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  313 

them,  and  never  a  lad  but  I,  —  which  counts  for  much 
in  the  long  run.  But  as  for  the  tapestry,  which  is 
somewhat  rare,  as  you  have  had  wit  enough  to  divine, 
'tis  but  some  lengths  that  same  lady  mother  of  mine 
sent  as  a  gift  to  my  lord;  and  he  bade  me  hang 
them  here  till  he  could  make  some -changes  and  find 
a  fitter  place  wherein  to  bestow  them.  As  for  the 
trinkets,  as  you  are  pleased  to  call  them,  I  would 
have  you  know  I  have  many  friends,  my  Robbie,  to 
say  nothing  of  my  sisters,"  and  he  laughed  signifi 
cantly.  "  But  come  in,  come  in,  and  try  the  comfort 
of  this  divan,  which  is  by  no  means  to  be  despised. 
Beshrew  me,  Robin,  but  why  should  a  man  sit  on 
a  hard  bench  when  there  are  soft  cushions  to  be 
had?" 

"  Some  of  us  are  born  to  soft  cushions,  my  lad, 
and  some  to  hard  benches.  '  Tis  not  all  a  matter  of 
choice,  or  liking.  Perhaps  not  a  matter  of  chance, 
either.  But  what  is  this  new  toy  ? "  and  he  took  from 
the  dressing-table  a  small  dagger  with  a  delicately 
carved  handle  of  ivory. 

"  Take  heed,  take  .heed !  "  cried  Ralph,  as  Robin 
lifted  it  carelessly.  "  If  it  be  but  a  toy,  as  you  call 
it,  'tis  of  the  best  steel  of  Damascus,  and  has  an 
edge  keener  than  any  razor.  Take  heed  ! " 

Robin  examined  the  fine  workmanship  for  a  mo 
ment,  and  then  replaced  it  carefully,  letting  his  eye 
move  idly  over  the  medley  on  the  table.  Suddenly 


314  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

his  heart  gave  one  wild  throb,  and  then  stood  still. 
Side  by  side  with  richly  wrought  pouncet-boxes,  rare 
bits  of  Bohemian  and  Venice  glass,  a  hand-mirror  in 
a  frame  of  arabesque  design,  a  couple  of  miniatures, 
and  an  ebony  crucifix,  lay  Lady  Anne's  little  silver 
arrow. 

Leaning  against  the  adjoining  casement,  he 
stared  at  it  as  if  it  were  a  basilisk. 

Meanwhile,  Ralph  had  thrown  himself  on  the  divan 
in  one  of  the  picturesque  attitudes  that  were  as  natu 
ral  to  him  as  its  airs  and  graces  are  to  a  cock-spar 
row,  and  silently  awaited  his  pleasure. 

"  Come,  come,"  he  said,  at  last,  "  when  you  have 
studied  my  curiosity  shop  long  enough,  what  if  you 
were  to  sit  down  on  a  soft  cushion  for  once  in  your 
life,  and  tell  me  what  brought  you  hither  at  this  hour 
o'  the  night  ?  It  was  not  pleasure,  merely,  —  that  I 
know  right  well.  For  it  is  well  past  nine  o'  the  clock, 
and  I  was  just  about  to  go  to  bed  when  I  heard  you 
come  stumbling  up  the  stairs." 

Robin  collected  his  scattered  senses,  as  best  he 
might,  and  looked  about  him  as  one  awakening  from 
some  vivid  dream. 

"  What  I  came  for  ?  Oh,  yes  !  I  remember,"  he 
said,  blankly,  pulling  a  paper  from  his  pocket.  "  My 
lord  sent  me  hither  with  these  instructions  as  to  some 
duty  of  the  morrow." 

"  Bother  me,  but  I  hope  'tis  not  to  send  me  off  on 


IN  KINGS '  HOUSES.  3 1  5 

some  wild  goose  chase  through  all  this  mud.  What 
may  the  duty  be  ? " 

"  Indeed  I  know  not.  The  script  explains  all. 
There,  take  it !  Good  night." 

"  Good  night  to  you,  Robin.  But  what  ails  you  ?" 
and  he  started  from  the  couch.  "  Are  you  ill,  lad  ? 
You  look  as  if  you  had  seen  a  ghost." 

"  I  have,"  said  Robin,  striding  down  the  stairs,  and 
out  into  the  darkness. 

Ralph  Montague  had  been  the  chief  victor  in  the 
tournament.  This  much  Robin  knew  already.  Had 
he  laid  his  trophies  at  the  feet  of  Little  Lady,  and 
received  from  her  in  exchange  the  silver  arrow  ? 

A  few  days  after  this,  as  Lord  Weymouth  was 
walking  on  the  terrace,  as  was  his  wont  after  supper, 
Robin  approached  him,  with  the  usual  obeisance. 

"  Can  I  speak  with  you,  my  lord  ? " 

"  Certainly.     Say  on." 

But  permission  having  been  given,  Robin  continued 
silent,  his  features  working. 

"  Out  with  it,  my  lad.     Anything  wrong  ?  " 

"  My  lord,  will  you  think  me  ungrateful  ?  I  am 
homesick !  Since  I  was  ill  I  have  had  a  great  long 
ing  for  the  gray  cottage,  and  the  dim  forest.  I 
pine  for  the  humble  places  and  things  I  knew  when 
I  was  a  child.  I  have  hungered  for  them  for  a  full 
month.  I  pray  you  let  me  go  for  awhile,  if  I  can  be 
spared." 


316  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

His  lordship  gave  swift  consent. 

"  Moreover,"  he  added,  "  I  have  long  been  thinking 
it  was  time  you  left  this  quiet  Somerset." 

Robin  smiled  faintly. 

"  For  the  stir  and  bustle  of  Windsor  Forest,  my 
lord  ? " 

"  As  to  that,  it  will  not  be  Windsor  Forest  long. 
The  Queen  will  summon  you  to  court.  I  have  her 
own  word  for  that.  Indeed,  she  more  than  hinted 
that  you  might  have  a  chance  to  win  your  spurs  in 
France,  — the  spurs  you  spoke  of  not  long  ago." 

"I  did  but  jest,  speaking  idle  words  after  the 
manner  of  young  men." 

His  eye  kindled,  nevertheless. 

"Think  you  her  Majesty  really  means  that,  my 
lord  ? " 

"  She  means  you  shall  have  a  chance  to  show  what 
mettle  you  are  of.  I  am  sure  of  that.  As  for  the 
spurs,  —  that's  neither  here  nor  there.  They  are 
not  so  important  to  a  man's  advancement  as  they 
once  were,  even  though  it  be  an  honor  to  have  the 
right  to  wear  them.  And  hark  you,  my  lad !  By 
your  leave,  I  have  somewhat  more  to  say  to  you  in 
the  matter  of  Lady  Anne  Gascoyne.  If  there  be 
some  slight  fancy,  some  little  touch  of  sentiment,  be 
it  more  or  less,  between  you  two  — 

"  Nay,  nay,  my  dear  lord,"  cried  Robin,  lifting  his 
hand  deprecatingly,  while  his  face  flushed  to  a  deep 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES.  317 

crimson,  and  then  paled  as  suddenly.  "  Nay,  nay, 
my  dear  lord,  I  do  beseech  you  speak  not  thus  of  the 
Lady  Anne.  There  is  nothing  —  there  has  been 
nothing  —  between  us  that  would  give  warrant  for 
your  words,  or  that  would  make  it  right  for  me  to 
listen.  If  I  ever  dreamed  or  hoped  the  contrary,  I 
thus  dream  and  hope  no  longer.  I  have  grown 
wiser.  Believe  me,  I  speak  the  truth,  my  lord." 

The  elder  man  looked  at  the  younger  curiously, 
studying  the  bowed  face,  with  its  averted  eyes  in 
tently,  ere  he  answered.  Then  he  said,  half  lightly, 
half  soberly :  "  Nathless,  let  me  finish  my  sentence. 
It  can  do  no  harm  to  you,  and  it  is  no  irrev 
erence  to  her.  If,  as  I  said,  there  should  be  some 
slight  fancy,  some  little  touch  of  sentiment  between 
you  two,  see  that  you  raise  yourself  to  her  height 
before  you  speak,  that  you  may  look  in  her  eyes 
level-fronted.  Nay,  I  want  to  know  nothing  now. 
Do  not  answer  me,  but  ponder  on  what  I  have  said. 
Yet  I  have  one  word  more  for  you.  If  you  chance 
to  meet  the  lady,  I  give  you  leave  to  tell  her  why 
you  had  no  part  in  the  tournament.  Tell  her,  if 
need  be,  that  your  lord  was  in  sharp  and  sudden 
peril,  and  that  you  saved  him.  But  see  to  it  that 
you  say  no  more  than  that.  Now  go  and  make 
thyself  ready  for  the  journey." 

Robin  kissed  the  hand  extended  to  him.  "My 
lord," — and  his  voice  faltered,  —  "my  dear  lord, 


3 1 8  IN  KINGS '  HO  USES. 

have  I  pleased  thee  since  I  have  been  of  thy 
household?" 

"  In  all  things,  my  son.     I  shall  miss  thee  sorely." 

"Then  give  me  thy  blessing,  as  thou  didst  once 
before.  Mayhap  I  go  to  worse  straits  than  I  found 
in  Southampton,  —  God  knows  !  " 

Three  days  later  Robin  leaped  from  Fanuella's 
back,  with  much  of  his  old  vigor,  and  was  clasped 
in  Dame  Dorothy's  arms.  He  was  half  cured  al 
ready  ;  and  she  and  Betty  were  two  happy  women, 
as  they  made  his  own  old  room,  with  the  bay  window 
and  the  high-carved  mantel,  sweet  and  fresh  for  him, 
a  low  fire  burning  on  the  hearth,  and  the  scent  of 
thyme  and  rosemary  and  lavender  floating  in  from  the 
garden.  He  looked  around  him  with  tender,  smiling 
eyes,  almost  fancying  himself  a  child  again,  as  Doro 
thy  hovered  about  him  wistfully,  and  Betty  fluttered 
in  and  out,  tempting  him  with  sweets. 

"Thou  art  much  changed,  Robin,"  said  the  former, 
when,  supper  being  over,  they  were  at  last  alone. 
"  But  thou  art  mine  own  laddie  still,  though  thou 
art  a  fine  gentleman,  fit  for  the  Queen's  court." 

"  'Tis  well  I  was  sent  away  from  thee  to  find  my 
level,"  he  answered,  laughing,  but  with  a  shrug  of  his 
shoulders.  "  Thou  didst  ever  make  too  much  of  me, 
granny,  thinking  thine  own  swan  the  whitest  of  all. 
But,  tell  me  now,  for  it  is  long  since  I  had  a  letter 
from  thee,  —  " 


IN  KINGS1  HOUSES.  319 

"Aye,  so  it  is,  laddie.  Thou  wert  ever  good  to 
write  to  me,  and  proud  was  I  of  thy  letters.  But 
I  could  not  send  thee  much  in  return.  I  can  talk 
fast  enow,  as  thou  knowest,  but  when  it  comes  to  pen 
and  paper,  —  bah !  But  is  it  good  to  be  here,  Robin  ? 
Is  home  sweet  ?  'Tis  a  great  fall  from  Longleat." 

"Aye,"  he  answered,  laughing.  "There  are  few 
finer  places  than  Longleat,  even  among  'kings' 
houses.'  Do  you  remember,  granny,  how  I  used 
to  tease  you  for  stories  about  kings'  houses  ? " 

She  nodded,  with  tears  in  her  eyes. 

"But,"  he  went  on,  soberly,  "it  is  good  to  be 
here.  Never  do  you  doubt  that." 

She  shook  her  head,  repeating,  "  'Tis  a  great  fall 
from  Longleat,  though." 

"  So  it  is  ;  so  it  is,  in  one  sense.  But,  granny, 
have  you  forgotten  what  Mat  Hansel  said  when  he 
brought  Fanuella  here,  and  I,  foolish  lad  that  I  was, 
feared  she  would  miss  her  fine  quarters  at  Windsor  ? 
That  reminds  me  !  Mat  is  not  home  from  the  wars 
even  yet  ? " 

"  No ;  Betty  gets  word  from  him  now  and  again, 
through  seme  straggler  from  the  camps.  He  says 
war  is  like  that  great  whirlpool  on  the  coast  of 
Norway.  'Tis  easy  enow  to  get  in,  but  hard  to  get 
out.  Always  he  says  he  is  coming  when  the  cam 
paign  is  over.  But  when  one  ends  another  begins. 
Please  God,  he  will  come  sometime." 


320  IN  KINGS1  HOUSES. 

"  And  then  there  will  be  a  wedding  ? " 

"  Mayhap.  Yet  I  know  not.  Time  settles  all 
things.  But  tell  me  of  thyself,  laddie.  Is  all 
well  with  thee  ?  " 

They  talked  late  that  night,  and  Dame  Dorothy 
listened,  delightedly,  as  Robin  told  of  his  life  at 
Longleat,  with  all  its  varied  experiences,  of  his 
affection  for  Lord  Weymouth,  and  of  the  latter' s 
increasing  trust  in  him. 

"And  thou  didst  see  the  Queen?  Mistress 
Randee  told  me  of  her  visit  to  Lord  Weymouth. 
It  was  a  great  honor.  'Tis  long  since  her  Majesty 
hath  been  in  Windsor ;  but  twice,  or  thrice,  since 
thou  wert  away.  But  thou  didst  see  her?" 

"Yes." 

"And  were  all  her  ladies  with  her?  Didst  thou 
see  the  Lady  Anne  Gascoyne  ?  She  hath  grown  to 
be  a  great  beauty,  and  'tis  said  she  is  to  wed  with 
my  Lord  Dalkieth.  Didst  thou  hear  of  it  ? " 

"  Aye ;  I  heard  some  such  report.  But  I  know 
not  if  it  be  true." 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

IN  due  course  of  time  Robin  returned  to  Longleat. 
The  forest,  and  Dame  Dorothy's  nursing,  had  done 
their  predestined  work,  and  all  traces  of  the  South 
ampton  episode  had  faded  away,  leaving  him  as  well 
as  ever,  if  somewhat  graver. 

He  found  Ralph  Montague's  bower,  as  it  was 
sarcastically  styled  by  his  comrades,  empty  as  a  last 
year's  bird's-nest.  All  had  flown,  —  the  tapestry, 
the  fine  hangings,  the  luxurious  divan,  the  costly 
trinkets.  His  father  had  died  suddenly,  and  the 
young  heir  had  been  hurriedly  summoned  to  his 
home  in  the  far  north,  to  assume  the  new  dignities 
of  the  head  of  his  house. 

Robin  had  had  much  time  for  reflection  during 
his  absence,  and  had  returned,  fully  determined  in  his 
own  mind  to  probe  to  the  bottom  the  matter  of  the 
little  silver  arrow.  But  it  was  too  late  now.  He 
and  Ralph  had  long  been  friends,  it  is  true ;  but 
such  searching  questions  as  he  meant  to  put  could 
only  be  ventured  in  the  close  intimacy  of  daily 
familiar  intercourse.  How  could  he,  indeed,  ask  any 

321 


322  IN  KINGS*   HOUSES. 

questions  whatever  ?  What  right  had  he  to  meddle 
with  the  affairs  of  the  Lady  Anne  Gascoyne,  or  with 
those  of  the  House  of  Montague  ? 

The  days  came  and  went,  and  at  last  all  came 
about  as  Lord  Weymouth  had  predicted.  In  a  few 
months,  the  Queen  came  to  Windsor  and  bethought 
herself  of  her  prot6g6.  In  another  month,  —  for 
events  moved  rapidly  in  those  days,  —  Robin  was  in 
France,  fighting  her  Majesty's  battles  in  the  cam 
paigns  of  1706-1708.  Fanuella  smelt  powder  at 
Ramillies,  minding  it  no  more  than  the  scent  of 
clover,  and  thought  the  clash  of  arms  and  the 
thunder  of  cannon  were  to  be  dreaded  no  more  than 
the  patter  of  raindrops  on  her  stable  roof.  It  was 
she  who  flashed  like  a  firefly  through  the  smoke  and 
din  of  war,  bearing  her  young  master  proudly  when 
more  than  once  he  crossed  the  bloody  field  to  deliver 
orders  from  the  great  duke  to  Major-General  Webb. 
It  was  she,  too,  who  pranced  with  him  into  Spain,  as 
gaily  as  to  a  festival,  when  he  went  thither  to  join 
Lord  Peterborough  at  Barcelona. 

But  there  are  strange  and  unlooked-for  meetings 
in  camps  and  on  battlefields.  Before  this  flitting 
into  Spain,  on  one  dark,  dreary  October  morning 
when  the  English  army  was  entrenched  before  Lisle, 
Robin  was  picking  his  way  through  mud  and  mire 
from  one  quarter  of  the  camp  to  another  on  a  tour 
of  inspection.  It  was  raining,  —  not  a  good,  sharp, 


IN  KINGS1  HOUSES.  323 

resolute  shower,  bound  to  attend  to  business  and  be 
done  with  it,  but  a  slow,  persistent  drizzle,  irritating 
as  a  weak  woman's  causeless  tears,  or  the  fretful 
wail  of  a  peevish  child.  The  wind  howled  dismally, 
and  the  chill  dampness  penetrated  to  the  very  bones 
and  marrow,  making  English  soldiers  think  gloomily 
of  warm  fires  on  the  glowing  English  hearthstones 
they  left  across  the  channel.  It  is  one  thing  to  rush 
cheerily  into  the  forefront  of  battle  when  bugles 
call  and  trumpets  blare  and  the  whole  world  watches 
the  onset  breathlessly ;  it  is  quite  another  thing  to 
lie  idly  in  camp  listlessly  waiting,  waiting. 

Suddenly,  as  he  sought  temporary  shelter  in  a 
sentry's  box,  he  heard  the  voice  of  one  approaching, 
—  the  strangely  familiar  voice  of  a  man,  growling  at 
wind  and  weather. 

"By  Saint  George  and  the  dragon,  what  a  day! 
More  fool  I  to  have  come  out  in  such  weather. 
Look  at  me,  James !  Hat  drenched,  feather  droop 
ing  and  all  awry,  doublet  dripping,  hose  bespattered, 
and  not  a  dry  thread  about  me.  'Tis  worse  than  a 
walk  in  Hades  —  Heavens  and  earth,  man  !  Is  that 
you,  Robin  Sandys,  hiding  there  like  a  hen  in  a 
coop  ? " 

For  at  that  instant  the  occupant  of  the  sentry-box 
stepped  forward,  with  extended  hand. 

"It  surely  is,  Ralph.  But  no  need  to  ask  if  it  is 
you,  bemoaning  the  fate  of  feather,  doublet,  and 


324  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

hose.  How  came  you  here,  man  ?  Are  you  with 
the  army  ?" 

"Not  I,  indeed.  I  have  no  mind  to  stand  up  to 
be  shot  at,  —  nor  to  shoot,  either,  unless  it  be  in 
defence  of  home  and  hearth.  And  mine  are  not  in 
this  beggarly  land  of  France,  God  be  praised !  I  am 
but  a  poor  bearer  of  despatches  from  her  Majesty  to 
the  duke ;  and  my  errand  once  done,  back  I  fly, 
straight  as  a  homing  pigeon.  But  do  but  look  at 
me !  I  can  never  present  myself  to  his  Grace  in 
this  plight.  'Twould  mar  all." 

Meanwhile  Robin  had  drawn  him  under  shelter, 
laughing  at  his  discomfiture. 

"His  Grace  has  little  time  to  consider  feathers 
down  here,  be  they  dishevelled,  or  no,"  he  said.  "  I 
have  nearly  made  my  rounds.  Stay  you  here  while 
I  finish,  and  then  go  with  me  to  my  quarters,  where 
James  will  soon  put  you  to  rights." 

"  Nay,  let  us  get  out  of  this  mire.  Go  you  with 
me  to  my  chambers,  where  we  can  be  quiet  and 
comfortable,  and  I  can  lay  hands  on  my  own  dress 
ing-case.  Robin,  lad,  but  'tis  good  to  see  you 
again,"  he  added,  heartily.  "  What  changes  hath 
time  not  wrought  since  we  were  lads  at  Longleat ! 
I,  head  of  my  house,  and  you,  a  target  for  French 
bullets." 

Half  an  hour  later  they  were  in  the  best  quarters 
the  place  afforded.  Trust  Ralph  Montague  for 


IN  KINGS'1  HOUSES.  325 

that!  When,  after  submitting  himself  to  James's 
ministrations,  he  emerged  from  his  dressing-room, 
fresh  from  the  bath,  spick  and  span  as  ever,  and 
with  a  certain  air  that  hung  about  him  as  of  one 
made  of  finer  clay  than  other  folk,  yet,  after  all  is 
said,  with  no  real  trace  of  weakness  or  effeminacy, 
Robin  could  but  admit  to  his  own  heart  that  he  was 
as  fine  a  specimen  of  young  manhood  as  one  need 
wish  to  see.  But  lo !  the  folds  of  his  laced  cravat 
were  held  in  place,  not  by  jewelled  clasp,  or  golden 
ring,  but  by  a  little  silver  arrow  that  was  itself  half 
hidden  in  the  airy  meshes.  An  eye  less  keen  than 
Robin's  would  scarcely  have  noticed  it.  His  heart 
sank. 

"  Now,  for  a  sip  of  something  hot  to  cheer  us  up, 
a  bright  fire,  and  a  good  talk  about  old  times,"  said 
Montague. 

"  But,  —  the  duke  and  the  despatches  ? "  suggested 
his  companion. 

"  Bah  !  there's  no  hurry.  I  am  twenty-four  hours 
ahead  of  time,  and  I  don't  get  hold  of  an  old  com 
rade  every  day.  How  goes  the  world  with  you, 
Robin  ?  " 

Robin  was  silent  so  long  that  his  friend  stared. 
Then  he  said,  quietly,  "  I  can  answer  that  question 
better,  Ralph,  after  I  have  asked  one  of  you.  Where 
got  you  that  little  silver  arrow  ? " 

"  This  ?  this  ? "  responded  Ralph,  his  color  deepen- 


326  IN  KINGS1  HOUSES. 

ing  while  his  hand  sought  the  head  of  the  tiny  bauble. 
"  This  ?  Ho,  ho  !  Is  that  the  way  the  wind  blows  ? 
After  you  turned  so  white  that  night  in  my  room  at 
Longleat,  and  stalked  off,  saying  you  had  seen  a 
ghost,  I  turned  back  to  my  table  and  examined  it 
curiously,  wondering  if,  by  chance,  I  might  find  any 
clue  to  your  discomfiture.  Yet  now  I  do  bethink 
me  this  was  lying  there." 

"  But  you  do  not  answer  my  question.  Where 
got  you  the  arrow  ? " 

"  In  the  picture  gallery  at  Longleat.  'Twas  the 
night  after  the  Queen  left.  In  truth  we  were  all 
somewhat  upset  after  the  fine  doings.  My  lord  was 
glum  and  silent.  You  had  flown,  nobody  knew 
whither.  All  who  did  not  win  prizes  in  the  tourna 
ment  looked  askance  at  those  who  did,  and  Gaffer 
Ambrose  went  hobbling  up  and  down  the  courts 
shaking  his  old  head  and  maundering  on  about 
Queen  Henrietta  Maria,  till  I  thought  I  should  go 
crazy  with  it  all.  So  I  strayed  off  by  myself  into 
the  gallery,  which  was  still  bedecked  as  for  the 
festival,  and  there  on  the  floor,  under  the  settle, 
I  saw  something  shining  in  the  moonlight.  It  was 
this  arrow." 

"  And  did  you  know  to  whom  it  belonged  ? " 

"  Of  course  I  did.  I  had  seen  it  hidden  away  in 
Lady  Anne  Gascoyne's  hair  when  I  danced  with  her 
at  the  ball.  'Twas  for  her  sake  I  kept  it.  But, 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES.  $2? 

laddie,"  he  went  on,  nervously,  glancing  at  Robin's 
grave  face  and  questioning  eyes,  "  it  was  but  a  trifle, 
a  mere  hairpin,  as  one  might  say,  not  worth  making 
a  pother  about,  or  returning  to  one  of  the  Queen's 
ladies.  A  knight  may  keep  a  lady's  glove  if  he  is 
lucky  enough  to  find  it,  or  a  knot  of  ribbon  from  her 
breast.  This  is  no  more  than  that,  surely,  and  all  is 
fair  in  love  and  war." 

"  In  love  ?  Ralph,  let  me  take  the  arrow  for  an 
instant.  See  here,"  —  and  holding  the  trinket  to  the 
light,  he  showed  him  Gloster's  initials  in  very  small 
letters  on  the  shaft.  "  Look  you,  Ralph  !  I  won 
that  arrow  in  an  archery  contest  on  the  Duke  of 
Gloster's  last  birthday.  I  gave  it  to  Lady  Anne 
myself,  when  we  were  children." 

Montague  gave  a  long,  low  whistle. 

"The  deuce  you  did  !  "  he  cried ;  "  and  I  supposed 
you  had  never  seen  her  any  more  than  I,  till  the 
night  of  the  ball.  So  much  for  your  confounded  reti 
cence.  Robin,  tell  me  the  truth  now,  remembering 
that  we  are  men,  not  children,  do  you  love  the 
lady  ?  " 

"There  is  nothing  between  us,"  he  answered, 
speaking  low  and  with  evident  constraint,  "  nothing 
whatever." 

"  That  is  not  what  I  asked.  Do  you  love  her  ? 
What  there  may  be  between  you  now  is  nothing  to 
the  point." 


328  77V  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

Robin  hesitated  for  a  moment.  He  was  reticent. 
Lord  Weymouth  was  the  only  one  on  earth  who  had 
ever  so  much  as  suspected  that  he  cared  for  Lady 
Anne  beyond  the  bounds  of  childish  friendship. 
But  he  must  speak  the  truth  now. 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  under  his  breath.  "  I  love  her. 
I  have  loved  her  all  my  life.  I  shall  love  her  till  I 
die,  —  and  afterward,  if  God  wills." 

There  was  a  moment's  silence,  and  then  Ralph, 
searching  his  friend's  face  with  a  strange,  scrutinizing 
glance,  placed  the  arrow  in  his  hand. 

"Take  it,  Robin,  it  is  yours,"  he  said,  very  gravely. 
"  That  is  something  that  is  vouchsafed  to  few  men,  — 
to  love  one  woman  all  their  lives  and  to  cleave  unto 
her  only.  Take  you  the  arrow." 

"  But  you  said  all  was  fair  in  love  and  war,  Ralph. 
As  I  told  you,  I  have  no  possible  claim  on  Lady 
Anne,  —  not  even  the  claim  of  an  outspoken  love. 
She  is  not  mine,  to  have  or  to  hold." 

"  Perhaps  not.  Yet  this  makes  many  things  clear 
to  me.  She  would  not  wed  Lord  Dalkieth,  in  spite 
of  the  Queen's  furtherance  of  his  suit  and  Lady 
Marlborough's  maneuvering.  Surely  you  have  heard 
that?" 

"  Something  to  that  effect." 

Ralph  hesitated  a  moment,  and  then,  with  a  sud 
den  snap  of  his  fingers,  as  if  tossing  something  from 
him,  he  went  on  : 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES.  329 

"  By  her  Majesty's  command  I  have  been  much  at 
court,  and  no  obstacles  have  been  thrown  in  the  way 
of  my  meeting  the  Lady  Anne.  In  fact,"  —  and  he 
laughed  a  little  shamefacedly,  —  "I  have  sometimes 
fancied  that  our  royal  mistress  would  not  be  unwill 
ing  to  see  her  fair  goddaughter  mistress  of  Mon 
tague  Hall.  But  I  have  known  from  the  first  that 
it  could  not  be.  The  lady  made  it  clear  enough. 
She  smiled  and  sang  and  danced  as  she  was  bidden, 
but  no  more.  And  — '  if  she  be  not  fair  to  me,  what 
care  I  how  fair  she  be  ? '  Go  you  in  and  win,  Robin, 
and  never  bother  about  me  or  my  loves.  I  am  not 
worth  it." 

Robin  was  gravely  silent  for  a  moment.  Then 
with  an  unfeigned  humility,  while  his  eye  studied 
the  gay,  debonair  young  figure  beside  him,  he  said, 
"What  possible  chance  is  there  for  Robin  Sandys 
where  there  is  none  for  Ralph  Montague?  More 
over,  if  you  take  the  matter  so  lightly,  why  have  you 
kept  this  toy  so  long  ? " 

"'Twas  a  mere  whim.  I  hardly  know,  myself. 
Possibly  because,  as  things  turned  out,  I  dared  not 
let  the  lady  know  I  had  it,  and  yet  was  loath  to  get 
rid  of  it  in  any  other  fashion.  Look  you,  Robin 
Sandys,  and  mark  my  words.  I  know  nothing  of 
love  as  measured  by  your  standards.  As  I  said, 
it  is  vouchsafed  to  few  men  to  love  one  woman  with 
a  lifelong  love.  Truly  it  is  not  vouchsafed  to  me. 


330  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

I  have  had  a  dozen  light  loves,  or  fancies.  I  shall 
have  a  dozen  more,  no  doubt,  before  I  make  my  lady 
mother  a  dowager." 

The  two  rose,  and  with  clasped  hands  looked 
steadily  into  each  other's  eyes.  Then,  "  God  bless 
you,  Ralph,"  said  Robin,  and  they  went  their  sepa 
rate  ways. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

IN  less  than  three  years  from  the  time  he  set 
out,  Robin  was  home  again.  He  was  older,  wiser, 
graver,  yet,  perhaps,  on  the  whole,  happier  than 
when  he  went  away.  He  had  been  tried  and 
tested ;  and  to  stand  any  test  well  makes  for  hap 
piness. 

Not  that  he  had  immortalized  himself.  He  had 
had  occasion  for  none  of  those  displays  of  super 
human  valor  that  now  and  then  lift  a  man  suddenly 
out  of  the  ranks  of  common  humanity,  and  set  him 
at  once  and  forever  among  the  stars.  No  one  ex 
pected  it,  and  he  least  of  all.  There  had  been  some 
slight  badinage  as  to  his  winning  his  spurs.  But 
there  was  little  of  that  business  going  on.  Its  day 
was  pretty  well  over  before  he  was  born.  The  ac 
colade  belonged  to  the  days  of  jousts  and  tourney- 
ings,  for  the  most  part ;  the  days  of  splendid  armor 
and  all  the  pomp  and  circumstance  of  chivalry. 

But  he  had  done  his  full  duty.  He  had  proved 
himself  a  valiant  soldier,  ready  to  fight  when  fighting 
was  to  the  fore,  and,  after  it  was  over,  humane  and 
generous  to  friend  and  foe.  He  had  received  honor- 


332  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

able  mention  more  than  once,  and  felt  that  the  path 
of  preferment  was  open  before  him.  On  the  whole, 
all  who  cared  a  straw  for  the  young  fellow,  from  her 
Majesty  down  to  Betty  Macthorne,  were  well  pleased 
with  him.  Even  my  Lady  Marlborough  had  only 
smiles  for  him  now.  Had  he  not  been  with  his 
Grace  the  duke  ?  And  the  duke  had  said,  in  his 
private  letters  to  the  Queen  and  to  his  wife,  that 
no  man  of  his  age  in  all  Flanders  deserved  more 
honor  than  young  Robin  Sandys.  Whatever  else 
my  lady  did,  or  did  not,  believe,  she  believed  in  her 
brave  husband,  who  loved  her  so  devotedly.  This 
much  must  in  justice  be  said  of  her :  that  in  spite 
of  the  dominating,  overmastering  ambitions  that 
made  her  often  cruel  and  unrelenting,  in  spite  of 
the  ingratitude  that  must  be  laid  to  her  charge,  in 
spite  of  all  her  greed  and  selfishness,  there  must 
have  been  noble  qualities  in  the  woman  who  com 
manded  her  Queen's  love  for  two-thirds  of  a  lifetime, 
and  held  that  of  Lord  Marlborough  forever.  So  now 
she  gave  her  lord's  new  favorite  her  white  hand  to 
kiss,  forgetting  he  was  the  boy  she  had  flouted. 

As  soon  as  Robin  had  made  his  obeisance  to  the 
Queen  at  Kensington,  and  received,  as  he  did,  her 
congratulations,  he  begged  permission  to  retire  for 
awhile  to  the  gray  cottage.  But  first  he  had  had  a 
few  whispered  words  with  Lady  Anne.  He  had 
made  his  peace  with  her  as  to  the  matter  of  the 


IN  KINGS*  HOUSES.  333 

favor  and  the  tournament,  and  had  shown  her  the 
slender  thread  of  gold  that  he  had  secretly  wound 
about  his  sleeve  whenever  he  went  into  battle,  as 
suring  her,  no  doubt,  it  had  been  the  talisman  that 
had  kept  him  safe  through  many  perils.  He  had 
restored  to  her  the  little  silver  arrow  that  had  known 
so  many  vicissitudes,  replacing  it  himself  in  the  thick 
coils  of  her  golden  hair.  His  fingers  trembled  at 
the  touch  of  the  soft,  odorous  folds,  and  he  dared 
not  meet  her  eyes,  that  shone  with  such  subdued  and 
tender  light. 

"  My  lost  arrow  !  "  she  cried.  "  I  did  not  think 
to  see  it  again.  But  how  came  it  in  your  hands, 
pray  tell  me,  sirrah  ? " 

"Ask  me  not,  dear  Lady  Anne,"  he  answered. 
"  I  can  tell  you  only  this.  It  was  delivered  to  me 
by  one  who  found  it,  and  I  would  fain  say  no  more." 

So,  though  there  was  no  out-and-out  love-making 
between  them,  —  for  the  time  was  not  yet  ripe,  —  it 
cannot  be  denied  that  there  was  a  pretty  fair  under 
standing  between  the  two.  Love  is  its  own  inter 
preter  ;  and  oftentimes  it  finds  the  spoken  word 
superfluous. 

And  who  should  ride  home  with  Robin,  but  Mat 
Hansel,  —  Mat,  browned  and  bronzed,  and  looking 
every  inch  the  soldier  in  his  buff  coat  and  jack 
boots  ?  The  one  gray  hair  he  had  shown  to  Betty 
had  increased  by  many  dozens  ;  but  he  was  still  a 


334  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

man  in  the  prime  of  life,  with  many  long  years  ahead 
before  he  would  be  old.  The  two  had  met  by  chance 
one  morning  in  Spain  ;  and  the  elder  man,  overjoyed, 
had  managed,  by  hook  or  by  crook,  to  get  himself 
exchanged  into  the  company  of  the  younger,  to  their 
mutual  satisfaction. 

Mat  had  seen  enough  of  fighting,  and  was  tired  of 
the  wars  that  seemed  so  endless,  and  accomplished 
so  little.  What  did  it  all  amount  to,  beyond  the 
killing  of  brave  men  and  the  making  of  widows  and 
orphans  ?  It  had  seemed  grand  and  glorious  at 
first,  but  now  he  had  had  enough  of  it ;  and  when  he 
rode  up  Castle  Hill,  and  around  to  the  stables  where 
all  was  unchanged,  and  just  as  he  had  left  it  when 
he  enlisted  five  years  before,  he  felt  surer  than  ever 
that  England  was  the  fairest  land  sun  ever  shone 
upon,  and  Windsor  the  fairest  spot  in  England. 

At  any  rate,  it  held  Betty,  —  Betty  for  whom  he 
had  waited  so  long  and  so  faithfully.  Was  he  to 
have  his  reward  now  that  he  had  come  back  ? 

One  cool  evening,  early  in  September,  a  few  days 
after  Robin's  return,  a  bright  fire  was  blazing  on 
the  hearth  in  his  room,  and  he  sat  in  a  big  chair,  his 
head  resting  on  his  hand,  and  his  eyes  watching  the 
flickering  flames  and  the  glowing  coals  beneath 
them. 

"  Where  are  you,  granny  ?  "  he  called.  "  Come 
hither,  and  sit  with  me." 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES.  335 

"  Soon,  soon,"  she  answered,  from  the  room  oppo 
site.  "  Let  me  finish  spinning  this  skein  of  fine 
yarn  first.  I  promised  Mistress  Randee  she  should 
have  it  on  the  morrow." 

By  way  of  response  Robin  dashed  across  the 
entry,  caught  up  the  little  wheel,  and  set  it  down 
before  his  own  fire. 

"There  !  "  he  said.  "If  thou  must  needs  'sit  by 
the  fire  and  spin,'  like  the  old  woman  in  the  song, 
thou  art  to  do  it  here  by  my  side,  granny.  There  is 
no  sweeter  music  on  earth  than  the  humming  of  thy 
wheel." 

She  laughed  happily.  "  Thou  wert  ever  a  master 
ful  lad,  and  wouldst  make  me  do  thy  will.  How  will 
it  be  now  that  thou  art  a  man  ?  But  now  tell  me  of 
thy  adventures.  Thou  must  have  a  store  of  them," 
and,  as  she  spoke,  she  drew  out  a  long,  shining 
thread  of  flax,  while  Robin  watched  her,  feeling  as 
if  he  were  a  boy  again. 

"'Tis  thy  turn  to  tell  stories  now,"  she  insisted, 
as  he  remained  silent. 

"  I  was  thinking  where  to  begin,"  he  said. 
"  Granny,  many  strange  things  have  befallen  me, 
but  one  seems  strangest  of  all,  as  I  look  back. 
Wait  now,  and  let  me  think  a  bit.  It  was  in  Bar 
celona,  late  in  June,  not  long  before  Lord  Peterbor 
ough  threw  up  his  command.  One  evening  I  was 
wandering  through  the  crooked,  narrow  streets  of 


336  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

the  old  city,  as  it  is  called,  to  distinguish  it  from  the 
modern  part  where  the  fine  new  buildings  are,  when 
suddenly  Mat  came  running  towards  me  with  a 
peasant  woman  at  his  heels. 

"'Well  met,  master,'  he  cried,  as  he  caught  sight 
of  me.  'Can  you  tell  me  what  'tis  this  woman 
wants  ?  I  can  make  nothing  of  her  outlandish  gib 
berish.' 

"  '  Alms,  most  likely,'  I  answered.  '  They  are  all 
beggars.' 

"  But  she  still  pulled  at  Mat's  coat,  and  when  he 
pushed  her  from  him,  somewhat  rudely,  she  seized 
mine.  Had  she  been  younger  I  might  have  thought 
her  one  of  the  women  that  hang  about  the  camps. 
But  she  was  old,  and  withal  she  had  a  saintly  face  as 
I  caught  glimpses  of  it  under  the  shawl  drawn  around 
her  head.  Now  I  do  not  know  the  Spanish  tongue, 
but  I  can  make  out  to  understand  a  little  by  hook  or 
by  crook,  my  knowledge  of  the  Latin  helping  me 
somewhat ;  and  I  knew  she  was  entreating  us  to 
follow  her,  with  much  rapid  talk  and  many  gesticula 
tions. 

"  '  Come  on,  Mat/  I  said.  '  Let  us  see  what  the 
old  creature  wants.  She  is  trying  to  ask  if  we  speak 
the  English.' 

"  '  Thank  God,  we  do/  said  Mat.  '  The  devil  take 
me  if  I  ever  speak  anything  else.  'Tis  not  quite 
safe,  master;  but  anyhow  we  be  two  to  one,  and 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  337 

that  one  an  old  woman.  So  let  us  on,  in  God's 
name ! ' 

"  We  followed  her  up  one  lane,  and  down  another, 
out  towards  the  open  country,  till  she  stopped  at 
last  before  a  low  cottage  near  the  walls.  It  was 
hardly  more  than  a  hut,  and  stood  somewhat  with 
drawn  from  the  highway.  Mat  drew  back,  and  put 
his  hand  to  his  belt,  as  she  proceeded  to  unfasten 
the  door.  '  See  here,  old  woman,'  he  said,  quite  for 
getting  she  could  not  understand  him,  'if  you  are 
playing  a  trick  on  us,  and  getting  my  young  master 
here  into  a  snare  — ' 

"  '  No,  —  no,'  she  cried,  understanding  the  voice 
and  action,  if  not  the  words  ;  and  again  I  made  out 
something  like  '  Anglees,  Anglees.'  Clearly  she  was 
in  pursuit  of  some  one  who  could  speak  English. 

"  It  was  but  a  little  place,  only  two  rooms,  the 
walls  hardly  to  be  distinguished  in  the  light  of  one 
feeble  candle.  At  first  I  thought  them  empty.  But 
as  my  eyes  grew  wonted  to  the  dim  light,  I  saw  the 
form  of  a  man  stretched  on  a  pallet  in  the  inner 
room.  The  woman  dragged  me  to  his  side,  and  I 
saw  he  was  lying  with  closed  eyes,  very  near  to 
death.  She  lifted  his  head,  and  put  some  wine 
to  his  lips.  It  is  strange,  granny,  how  much  one 
can  understand  without  words.  Those  Southern 
folk,  —  they  talk  with  their  eyes  and  their  hands. 
Somehow  she  made  me  know  that  this  man  had 


338  IN  KINGS1   HOUSES. 

been  wounded  in  a  skirmish,  many  days  before, 
and  left  for  dead.  She  had  found  him  lying  help 
less,  and  half  dragged,  half  carried  him  to  her  hut, 
where  she  had  done  her  poor  best  for  him,  foe  and 
stranger  though  he  was.  All  this  I  made  out,  partly 
by  my  own  wits,  and  partly  through  her  endeavors ; 
and  it  came  to  me  that  the  man,  who  perhaps  could 
make  her  understand  his  Spanish,  had  implored  her 
to  bring  to  him  some  one  to  whom  he  could  speak 
in  his  own  tongue.  For  I  saw  at  once  that  he  was 
an  Englishman. 

"  Twice,  thrice,  she  put  the  cup  to  his  poor  lips, 
and  chafed  his  hands,  and  cooed  over  him  in  her 
soft,  motherly  voice,  before  he  opened  his  eyes. 
When  he  saw  me,  such  a  glad  light  came  into 
them  as  I  never  saw  in  mortal  eyes  before.  'You 
are  my  countryman/  he  murmured,  taking  my  hand. 
'God  hath  sent  you  to  me  in  my  need.' ' 

Dame  Dorothy  had  pushed  the  wheel  away,  and 
was  leaning  forward,  listening  intently. 

"  Go  on,  laddie,"  she  said  at  length,  as  Robin 
remained  silent,  lost  in  his  own  memories.  "  There 
must  be  more  to  tell." 

He  started  at  the  sound  of  her  voice.  "  I  will  not 
try  to  give  you  his  own  words,  for  he  could  speak 
but  few  at  a  time,  and  that  with  long  pauses.  Often 
he  would  lapse  into  stupor,  and  then  through  the 
woman's  ministrations  would  rally  again.  Somehow, 


IN  KINGS1   HOUSES.  339 

I  felt  he  could  not  die  —  nay,  that  he  would  not — 
—  till  he  had  finished  his  story.  So  I  sat  waiting 
patiently,  holding  his  poor  hand,  and  bending  my  ear 
to  his  lips,  whenever  he  had  strength  to  speak.  I 
saw  from  the  first  moment  that  there  was  no  pos 
sible  help  for  him.  All  I  could  do  was  to  listen. 

"  Broken  and  disjointed  as  the  story  was,  it  was 
yet  coherent.  He  made  me  understand  him  fully. 
He  had  been  one  of  the  many  who  had  followed 
the  fortunes  of  King  James,  and  cast  in  their  lot 
with  his,  feeling  that,  whatever  his  errors  and  weak 
nesses  might  be,  he  was  still  England's  anointed 
king." 

"Aye,  there  were  many  such,"  said  Dame  Dor 
othy,  nodding  her  head  gravely.  "  Good  Prot 
estants,  too.  'Tis  a  mistake  to  think  that  all,  or 
even  most  of  those  who  followed  the  banner  of 
King  James,  were  Papists.  'Twas  not  so.  They 
were  but  loyal  Englishmen,  faithful  to  their  sworn 
sovereign.  But  go  on,  laddie,  my  old  tongue  runs 
away  with  me,  when  I  think  of  those  dark  days." 

"This  man  was  a  Protestant,"  said  Robin,  "and 
loyal  to  England,  though  not  to  one  whom  he 
regarded  as  a  ^isurper.  But  for  this  he  was  out 
lawed,  and  a  price  set  on  his  head.  He  tried  to 
give  me  details  of  wherein  he  was  falsely  accused ; 
but  seeing  how  fast  his  strength  was  failing,  I 
begged  him  to  say  only  what  he  must.  Then  he 


340  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

told  me  this :  that  when  James  and  William  were 
both  dead,  and  Anne  was  on  the  throne,  he  felt 
that  the  cause  of  the  young  prince  was  hopeless ; 
or  if  it  were  not,  that  the  new  order  of  things  was 
established,  and  its  maintenance  best  for  England. 
So  he  joined  the  armies  in  France  and  Spain,  not 
as  an  officer  and  gentleman  of  rank,  but  as  a  com 
mon  soldier;  trusting  that,  after  he  had  done  good 
service  under  the  Queen's  banner,  he  might  venture 
to  again  tread  English  soil,  and  to  throw  himself  on 
her  mercy.  And  now,  death  was  to  end  all,  leav 
ing  him  attainted,  and  his  son  a  beggar.  For  he 
left  a  little  motherless  boy  in  England,  when  he  was 
forced  to  flee  for  his  life ;  and  'twas  for  his  sake  he 
longed  to  retrieve  somewhat  of  his  losses  in  rank, 
and  in  estate." 

Perhaps  it  was  well  that  the  room  was  lighted  only 
by  the  glow  from  the  hearth,  for  at  this  juncture 
Dame  Dorothy's  fine  old  face  grew  white  as  a  snow 
wreath,  and  she  left  the  chamber,  with  a  brief  word 
of  excuse.  When  she  came  back,  she  drew  her  chair 
farther  into  the  shadow. 

"And  what  was  the  gentleman's  name?"  she 
asked,  in  a  steady  voice,  though,  if  one  had  looked 
closely,  he  would  have  seen  that  she  held  the  arm  of 
her  chair  as  in  a  vice.  Her  finger-nails  were  white 
with  the  pressure. 

"That  is  the  saddest  part  of  all,  granny.     I  can 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  341 

hardly  forgive  myself.  I  was  intent  on  hearing  what 
he  had  to  say,  and  he  was  only  intent  on  saying  it. 
It  did  not  once  occur  to  me  until  all  was  over  that 
he  had  not  given  me  his  name.  Dawn  was  just 
breaking,  and  he  was  about  to  draw  something  from 
his  bosom,  when,  suddenly,  he  gave  a  sharp  cry,  and 
caught  my  hand.  '  Say  a  prayer ! '  he  gasped,  and  I 
fell  on  my  knees,  and  said  one  of  the  little  prayers 
you  taught  me  when  a  child,  and  '  Oh,  Saviour  of  the 
world.'  In  the  whirl  of  my  thoughts  I  could  remem 
ber  nothing  else.  As  I  rose  and  bent  over  him,  with 
tears  in  my  eyes,  he  smiled.  '  Kiss  me,  lad,'  he  said. 
And,  as  I  stooped  and  did  his  bidding,  the  spirit 
departed." 

Dorothy  rose  silently,  and  laid  her  hand  on  Robin's 
head. 

"  'Twas  a  mercy  thou  wert  there  in  his  dark  hour," 
she  whispered.  "  Thy  story  hath  moved  me  much, 
laddie.  Let  me  leave  thee  for  some  little  while,  and 
then  we  will  talk  farther  of  this." 

It  was  half  an  hour  before  she  returned.  "  Hast 
thou  nothing  more  to  tell  ? "  she  asked,  taking  his 
hand. 

Robin  looked  at  her,  anxiously.  "  I  am  sorry 
I  told  thee  anything,"  he  answered.  "  Art  thou  not 
well  to-night  ?  I  never  saw  thee  so  pale." 

But  she  made  an  impatient  gesture.  "Talk  not  of 
me.  I  am  well  enow.  Was  there  nothing  more  to't  ? " 


342  IN  KINGS1   HOUSES. 

"  Not  much.     I  —  " 

"  But  surely  thou  didst  find  what  it  was  the  man 
had  hidden  in  his  bosom  ?  " 

"Yes.  I  will  show  thee  presently.  I  hesitated 
just  a  little,  seeing  he  was  quite  unknown  to  me.  Yet, 
after  what  he  had  told  me,  it  did  not  seem  like  pry 
ing  into  his  secrets.  So  I  called  Mat,  who  had  re 
mained  in  the  next  room,  and  when  we  had  made  the 
poor  body  ready  for  burial  as  best  we  could,  I  took 
a  small  pouch  of  green  leather  from  beneath  his 
shirt.  It  hung  around  his  neck  by  a  black  cord.  You 
know  nothing  about  war,  granny.  You  cannot  un 
derstand.  But  we  could  not  give  him  what  you 
would  call  Christian  burial.  The  town  was  in 
tumult,  and  the  hut,  or  cabin,  was  on  its  extreme 
northern  limit,  almost  in  the  open  country.  We  dug 
a  grave  under  a  low,  wide-spreading  ilex-tree,  and 
there  we  left  him.  The  woman  looked  on  silently, 
crossing  herself,  and  telling  her  beads.  I  gave  her 
all  the  silver  I  had  about  me,  and  before  the  sun  was 
fairly  up  we  were  back  to  our  quarters  again.  It 
had  been  a  long,  strange  night." 

"  But  the  pouch  !      What  was  in  the  pouch,  lad  ? " 

He  crossed  the  room  to  his  chest.  "  Here  it  is," 
he  said.  "  See  for  thyself." 

She  unfastened  the  string  with  nervous  fingers 
that  would  hardly  do  her  bidding,  and  took  from 
the  small  pouch  the  miniature  of  a  lovely,  dark- 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  343 

eyed  woman,  a  flat  brown  curl,  evidently  cut  from 
a  child's  head,  and  a  ring,  —  an  amethyst  with  an 
engraved  crest  thereon.  Dorothy  gave  a  low  cry 
as  they  fell  into  her  lap ;  then  checked  herself, 
and  looked  deprecatingly  at  Robin,  while  her  lips 
trembled. 

"  They  are  so  beautiful  it  quite  took  away  my 
breath,"  she  said,  smiling  faintly.  "And  —  and  — 
it  is  all,  as  you  say,  so  pitiful." 

"It  is  a  sad  story,  indeed,"  he  answered.  "To 
morrow  I  must  find  a  merry  one  to  make  up  for 
it." 

"Nay;  I  like  the  sad  ones  better.  Laughter  is 
but  the  crackling  of  thorns  under  a  pot." 

"  But  tell  me,  granny,  you  who  are  so  wise,"  he 
went  on,  while  she  studied  the  miniature  and  the 
crest.  "What  shall  I  do  about  this  matter?  If  I 
do  nothing,  that  man's  white  face  will  haunt  me  till 
I  die." 

"Let  me  think.  Let  me  think  it  over,"  she  said. 
"  But  the  hour  grows  late,  and  now  I  must  to  bed. 
I  will  e'en  take  the  pouch  with  me,  by  your  leave, 
and  dream  on't." 

An  hour  later,  Betty,  hearing  a  slight  stir  in  her 
mistress's  room,  stole  softly  down-stairs,  to  see  if 
aught  was  wrong  with  her.  The  door  was  ajar 
a  trifle.  Dame  Dorothy  was  kneeling  by  her  bed 
side,  with  her  arms  outstretched  upon  the  coverlet. 


344  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

"Lord,  I  thank  thee,"  she  said,  under  her  breath; 
"now  lettest  thou  thy  servant  depart  in  peace." 

"  My  dear  old  mistress,"  thought  Betty,  as  she 
crept  quietly  away  with  tears  in  her  eyes.  "'Tis 
but  because  our  Master  Robin  is  safe  home  from  the 
wars.  And  my  Mat,  too.  Truly,  we  have  much  to 
thank  God  for,  and  I  will  surely  go  to  matins  and 
even-song  to  say  my  prayers  three  times  a  week  till 
next  Michaelmas." 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

"  DID  you  dream  it  out,  dear  heart  ? "  asked  Robin 
the  next  morning,  following  Dame  Dorothy  into 
the  garden,  gorgeous  with  the  late  splendor  of  the 
year,  and  glowing  with  heat  again.  The  sun  shone 
warmly  after  the  early  chills,  and  the  bees  were 
coming  and  going  as  in  midsummer.  "  Sit  here  in 
the  sunshine,  and  let  us  talk  it  over." 

"  I  have  thought  it  all  out,  Robin.  You  are  to 
tell  the  whole  story  to  Queen  Anne,  just  as  you  told 
it  to  me.  She  comes  to  Windsor  next  week ;  for  so 
Mistress  Randee  was  telling  me  but  yesterday  when 
she  came  to  speak  with  me  about  the  yarn.  You 
must  tell  her  of  the  poor  gentleman,  and  what  he 
said,  and  show  her  the  miniature  and  the  ring ;  and 
mayhap  God  will  incline  her  heart  to  help  you  find 
the  little  lad  if  he  be  living.  For  she  hath  a  kindly 
heart,  —  our  good  Queen  Anne." 

"  She  has  indeed.  I  have  much  cause  to  know 
that.  But  she  has  been  taught  to  believe  this  man 
a  traitor.  He  told  me  as  much.  Still,  I  know  not 
what  else  to  do,  and  it  may  prove  worth  the  trying. 
When  do  you  say  she  comes  ? " 

345 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

"Next  week." 

"And  next  Monday  Lord  Weymouth  is  to  be  in 
London.  I  will  see  him.  If  any  man  can  help  me 
with  the  Queen  in  this  matter,  it  is  he." 

A  few  days  later,  young  Master  Sandys  went  out 
to  the  stable  just  before  sundown,  to  have  a  little 
confidential  talk  with  Fanuella. 

"  Sleep  well,  my  lady,"  he  said.  "  Thou  must  be 
in  fine  trim  on  the  morrow  when  we  go  up  to  London 
to  see  our  dear  lord  and  master.  Thou  must  carry 
thyself  proudly,  as  befitteth  one  who  hath  been  in  the 
forefront  of  battle,  and  never  quailed  ;  and  thou  must 
remember  thou  art  a  giddy  young  thing  no  longer, 
my  Fanuella!  Why,  thou  art  middle-aged  at  the 
very  least,  while  I  am  still  but  in  the  heyday  of  my 
youth.  Art  thou  not  sorry  ?  For  surely  it  is  good 
to  be  young,  and  life  is  sweet." 

Ah !  life  and  youth  were  very  sweet  to  Master 
Robin  Sandys  about  those  days ! 

Fanuella  answered  him  with  neighs  and  whinnies, 
as  was  her  custom,  lowering  her  head  for  his  caresses, 
and  assenting  to  all  he  said,  with  much  pricking  of 
her  small  ears  and  most  intelligent  glances,  until 
with  a  laugh  he  gave  her  a  lump  of  sugar,  bade  her 
good  night,  and  returned  to  the  house  again,  where 
he  and  Dame  Dorothy  talked  late  and  long. 

"Wilt  thou  tell  the  whole  matter  at  once  to  my 
Lord  Weymouth  ?  "  she  asked. 


IN  KINGS1   HOUSES.  347 

"  Nay,  I  think  not.  There  are  always  many  to  see 
him,  and  a  crowd  of  folk  coming  and  going  when  he 
is  at  his  house  in  London.  I  will  but  pay  my  obei 
sance,  as  in  duty  bound  after  my  long  absence,  and 
bear  to  him  the  Queen's  mandate  that  he  come  to 
Windsor  on  Thursday.  'Tis  a  rare  chance  that  he  is 
up  from  Longleat  just  now." 

"  Thou  wilt  stay  at  the  castle  thyself,  Robin  ? " 

"  Yes.  The  Queen  bids  it.  And  she  was  pleased 
to  say  I  must  have  had  many  rare  adventures,  and 
must  relate  them  some  evening  for  her  amusement, 
and  Lord  Weymouth's.  I  made  answer  that  I  was 
no  Scheherezade,  like  her  of  the  '  Arabian  Nights,' 
but  that  some  strange  things  had  indeed  befallen  me, 
one  at  least  of  which  might  possibly  be  worth  her 
hearing.  So  the  way  is  open.  Her  Majesty  will 
not  forget,  for  she  dearly  loves  a  story." 

"Wilt  thou  not  see  to  it  that  Mat  Hansel  be 
somewhere  within  call  ?  '  In  the  mouth  of  two  wit 
nesses,'  the  Scripture  saith,  thou  knowest,"  she  said, 
anxiously. 

"He  can  be  called  if  it  seem  needful;  but  I  think 
the  Queen  will  take  my  word  as  far  as  it  goes. 
Would  it  went  further !  Yet  the  miniature  and  the 
crest,  —  surely  they  will  help  me  out.  Granny,  it  is 
borne  in  upon  my  mind  that  I  shall  find  the  little 
lad." 

"  God  grant  it !     But  the  '  little  lad '  must  be  well- 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

nigh  as  old  as  thyself,  Robin,  —  a  man  grown  by  this 
time.  Tell  me,  lad.  Are  there  many  at  the  castle 
whom  you  knew  in  the  old  days  ? " 

"Not  many.  Lady  Marlborough  is  at  Woodstock 
just  now,  looking  after  the  building  of  her  fine  palace 
of  Blenheim.  I  had  a  moment  with  Mistress  Hill  in 
the  east  corridor.  You  know  she  has  changed  her 
name  and  estate,  and  is  Mistress  Masham  now  ? " 

"  So  Mistress  Randee  told  me  but  last  week ; 
and  she  added  that  Lady  Marlborough  was  wroth 
because  her  Majesty  went  to  the  wedding,  for 
sooth  ! " 

As  usual,  there  was  some  fine  darning  to  be  done 
at  the  castle ;  and  thus  it  happened  that  on  Thurs 
day  morning  Dorothy  was  in  the  Queen's  bedcham 
ber  busily  plying  her  needle,  while  Anne,  from 
the  depths  of  a  capacious  chair,  with  her  hands 
folded,  and  a  smile  on  her  lips,  watched  the  move 
ments  of  her  deft  fingers. 

"  Dorothy,"  she  said.  "  Hearken  to  me !  You 
are  to  have  such  a  treat  as  you  never  dreamed  of. 
Hear  this  now.  My  Lord  Weymouth  is  coming 
hither  to-day,  and  I  have  bidden  Robin  hold  him 
self  in  readiness  to  tell  us  somewhat  of  his  hap 
penings  in  foreign  parts.  What  think  you  of  that  ? 
'Twill  be  fine  sport,  and  you  shall  have  a  share  in 
it.  I  have  set  my  heart  on't." 

Dorothy    clasped    her   hands    in    delight,    for   all 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES.  349 

things  seemed  turning  as  she  had  almost  hope 
lessly  prayed.  "Thou  art  only  too  good  to  me, 
my  Queen,"  she  said,  "and  I  would  I  could  hide 
behind  the  arras,  and  hear  the  lad's  stories.  But 
thou  knowest  I  have  no  part  nor  lot  with  great 
folk.  Yet,  dear  my  lady,  tell  me  if  it  please  you, 
where  will  this  story-telling  be  ? " 

"  In  the  green  and  silver  chamber.  And  now  I 
do  bethink  me,  there  is  a  screen  there,  —  the  fine 
japanned  screen  Mistress  Dalrymple  brought  down 
to  me  from  Scotland,  it  being  her  own  handiwork. 
If  you  choose,  you  can  sit  quietly  behind  it,  and  none 
will  be  the  wiser,  not  even  Master  Robin  Sandys 
himself.  How  will  you  like  that  ? "  and  she  laughed 
merrily. 

"  I  shall  like  it  well,  madam,  and  I  promise  you 
I  will  be  stiller  than  any  mouse,  hiding  behind  the 
arras." 

And  so  it  happened  that  when  a  small  but  some 
what  stately  company,  consisting  of  her  Majesty, 
Prince  George  of  Denmark,  Lord  Weymouth,  and 
two  or  three  of  the  Queen's  ladies,  met  in  the 
beautiful  chamber  where  Robin  first  saw  Little 
Lady  bending,  with  wistful  eyes,  over  her  embroid 
ery-frame,  Dame  Dorothy,  in  her  purple  gown,  and 
cap  and  lappets  of  sheer,  fine  muslin,  sat  behind 
Mistress  Dalrym pie's  tall  screen.  Over  her  shoul 
ders,  that  were  still  unbent  by  the  weight  of  her 


350  IN  KINGS*   HOUSES. 

more  than  seventy  years,  she  wore  a  soft  white 
shawl  with  a  narrow  needle-wrought  border  that 
Robin  had  brought  her  from  the  South.  A  crim 
son  spot  burned  upon  either  cheek,  and  her  hand 
trembled  as  she  drew  the  shawl  closer  about  her, 
laying  her  cheek  upon  its  folds  caressingly. 

"  God  help  him  now,"  she  sighed,  inaudibly,  as 
she  listened  to  the  light  talk  going  on  beyond  the 
screen,  the  jests  and  the  laughter,  the  Queen's 
silvery  voice,  Prince  George's  gutturals,  and  Lord 
Weymouth's  deeper  tones.  Robin  was  at  the  lower 
end  of  the  long  chamber  awaiting  his  summons,  and, 
meanwhile,  solacing  himself  with  Lady  Anne. 

At  length  her  Majesty  called  him ;  and  Dorothy's 
heart  gave  a  great  throb  as,  through  a  crevice  in  the 
screen,  she  saw  him  come  up  the  long  room,  his 
head  erect,  his  hair  thrown  back,  his  dark  eyes 
kindling,  and  a  smile  on  his  lips  as  he  knelt  to  the 
Queen.  She  beckoned  to  the  younger  ladies,  and 
they  drew  nearer. 

"  Now,  prithee,  Master  Sandys,  —  for  I  must  not 
call  you  Robin  now  that  you  have  a  beard,  and  his 
Grace  the  duke  says  such  fine  things  of  you,  —  tell 
us  the  story  you  spoke  of  as  being,  perhaps,  worth 
our  hearing." 

He  bowed  low,  and  drew  a  step  nearer.  "If  it 
please  your  Majesty,  let  me  tell  of  some  lighter 
matters  first.  The  adventure  I  spoke  of,  though 


IN  KINGS '.  HO  USES.  3  5  I 

I  hope  it  may  prove  to  be  of  interest,  is  yet  a  sad 
one  when  all  is  said,  —  fitter  to  move  tears  than 
laughter." 

"As  you  please,  as  you  please,  Master  Sandys. 
Only,  I  pray  you,  let  the  tales  be  of  Spain,  of 
which  we  know  much  less  than  of  France." 

Robin  was  not  a  bad  story-teller,  and  the  presence 
of  his  old  friend  and  master,  to  say  nothing  of  Lady 
Anne's  rapt  listening,  was  of  itself  an  inspiration. 
With  a  light  and  airy  touch,  as  of  one  who  scarcely 
dealt  with  matter-of-fact  realities,  he  told  of  two  or 
three  merry  happenings  of  camp  and  court  and 
bivouac,  amid  much  laughter  and  jesting.  Then 
his  face  changing,  he  again  bowed. 

"Will  your  Majesty  listen  to  the  sadder  story, 
now?" 

She  nodded. 

"Go  on.  'Twill  be  a  pleasant  change  if  it  make 
me  cry,  for  I  have  laughed  till  my  sides  ache." 

Prince  George  rose  with  some  difficulty.  "If  it 
please  you,  madam,  my  wife,  I  will  retire.  My  breath 
comes  hard  to-night ;  and  sad  stories  are  not  for  sick 
men." 

Anne  looked  after  her  husband  anxiously,  as  he 
made  his  slow  way  to  the  door. 

"  Bid  Masham  prepare  the  bolus  for  you,  dear 
heart,"  she  said,  "and  make  ready  the  night  draught. 
I  will  come  soon,  and  do  my  poor  best  to  make  you 


352  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

comfortable  for  the  night.  This  high  Windsor  air 
seems  always  bad  for  him  ! "  she  added,  with  a  sigh. 
"  He  is  better  in  Kensington.  But  go  on,  Master 
Sandys." 

Dorothy,  behind  the  screen,  held  her  breath,  and 
leaned  forward,  hearing  her  own  heart  beat.  In 
almost  the  words  he  had  used  in  telling  the  tale 
to  her,  he  told  of  the  dark  streets  of  Barcelona,  of 
the  appeal  of  the  peasant  woman,  of  following  her 
to  the  lonely  cabin  on  the  outskirts  of  the  town,  of 
the  dark  inner  room,  and  the  wounded  man  stretched 
on  that  forlorn  pallet ;  of  the  long,  weird  night-watch, 
of  the  death,  just  as  the  faint  gray  dawn  was  break 
ing,  and  of  the  hurried  burial  under  the  ilex-tree. 
But  he  did  not  tell  of  the  prayer,  nor  of  the  kiss. 
They  were  too  sacred.  Neither  did  he  tell  what 
the  dying  man  had  said  to  him.  That  should  come 
later. 

When  he  ceased,  the  Queen  was  in  tears. 

"  And  this  was  one  of  mine  own  gallant  soldiers, 
wounded  in  mine  own  cause,"  she  cried.  "This 
bloodshed,  this  bloodshed,  —  oh,  my  God !  when 
shall  we  be  done  with  it  ?  But  go  on.  What 
said  the  man  ?  It  must  have  been  of  much  import, 
seeing  how  he  strove  to  speak  in  the  very  death- 
agony." 

Robin  hesitated,  and  his  color  changed.  The 
crucial  moment  had  come,  the  moment  that  should 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES.  353 

test  all.  Lord  Weymouth  watched  him  curiously, 
seeing,  as  the  Queen  did  not,  that  there  was  some 
strong  purpose  underlying  this  story-telling.  It  was 
more  than  the  pastime  of  an  hour.  Something  of 
weight  hung  thereon.  What  was  it  ? 

"  It  was  indeed,  madam.  Would  I  could  give  the 
story  in  his  own  words !  Broken  as  they  were,  and 
with  long  pauses,  as  for  breath,  they  were  far  more 
eloquent  than  those  of  any  other  tongue  can  be. 
Madam,  your  brave  soldier  dying  there  was  one  who 
had  loved  King  James,  and  followed  his  fortunes. 
For  this  he  was  outlawed  under  William,  and  for 
bidden  to  return  to  England,  under  penalty  of  death. 
He  was  stigmatized  as  a  traitor  to  king  and  coun 
try.  I  cry  pardon,  your  Majesty,"  —  for  the  Queen's 
face  flushed,  and  she  made  an  impatient  gesture. 
"  I  do  but  repeat  the  words  of  a  dying  man.  Shall 
I  end  here?" 

"  No,  no !  Go  on,  sir.  Let  us  hear  the  whole, 
seeing  we  are  in  for  it.  We  are  all  friends  in  this 
presence,  or  I  would  give  a  different  answer. 
Say  on ! " 

"The  man  said,  'I  was  no  traitor.  William  was 
no  king  of  mine.  Yet  I  bred  no  treason,  even 
against  him ;  and  I  had  part  in  no  plots.  I  did 
but  follow  mine  own  anointed  king  in  his  flight, 
because  I  loved  him.'  " 

"Aye,"  said  Lord  Weymouth,  rising  and  taking 


354  IN  KINGS'   HOUSES. 

his  stand  by  Robin's  side.  "Aye,  madam,  'tis  one 
thing  to  love,  or  even  to  hold  enmity,  and  quite 
another  to  breed  treason." 

Anne  made  a  quick  motion  of  the  head,  but  said 
nothing  in  response  to  this.  Presently,  however,  she 
bade  Robin  proceed. 

"  How  came  this  martyr  to  be  fighting  my  battles, 
then  ?  "  she  said.  "  Faith,  they  be  all  martyrs ! 
Beshrew  me,  if  I  can  understand.  What  more 
said  he  ?  Speak  out !  " 

He  explained  in  a  few  quiet,  yet  graphic  words, 
most  studiously  chosen,  as  Lord  Weymouth  per 
ceived,  with  a  view  to  avoiding  offence,  telling 
of  the  man's  determination,  after  both  James  and 
William  were  in  their  graves,  to  earn  the  Queen's 
favor  by  good  service  under  his  country's  banner, 
and  then  to  return,  and  throw  himself  at  her  feet, 
with  a  prayer  for  mercy. 

Her  face  softened,  and  she  listened  silently,  and 
without  manifest  impatience,  as  Robin  told  of  the 
little  son,  thus  bringing  his  story  to  an  end. 

Then  came  the  momentous  question. 

"  Who  was  this  man  ? " 

"Your  Majesty,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  I  do  not 
know.  I  can  hardly  forgive  myself  for  not  knowing, 
for  not  having  asked  the  question  directly.  I  had 
often  seen  men  fall  on  the  field,  in  the  fury  and 
tumult  of  battle,  and  had  not  minded  it  much.  But 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  355 

I  had  never  stood  by  a  death-bed  until  then,  nor 
spoken  with  a  dying  man,  face  to  face.  I  was  a 
good  deal  unnerved,  and  was  only  intent  on  hearing 
what  he  had  to  say.  And  he,  —  he  thought  only 
of  telling  his  story  while  he  had  breath  to  do  it, 
and  death  took  him  unawares.  It  did  not  occur 
to  me,  till  it  was  too  late,  that  he  had  never  once 
spoken  his  own  name." 

"  But,"  said  Lord  Weymouth,  "  there  must  have 
been  papers,  letters,  something  to  identify  him?" 

"  My  lord,  he  had  been  stripped  of  his  outer  gar 
ments  when  left  for  dead.  If  he  had  papers,  doubt 
less  they  were  in  his  coat.  But  here  is  the  pouch  I 
spoke  of,  which,  being  worn  beneath  his  shirt,  was 
overlooked.  The  poor  woman  who  befriended  him 
had  thought  it  an  amulet,  and  left  it  untouched,  as 
something  sacred." 

Dropping  on  one  knee,  he  untied  the  little  leath 
ern  pouch,  or  tiny  bag,  and  poured  the  contents  into 
the  Queen's  lap. 

"  Faith,  but  this  grows  interesting,"  she  said,  as 
she  took  up  the  miniature.  "  'Tis  a  lovely  face,  and 
does  not  seem  unfamiliar.  Methinks  I  must  have 
seen  the  lady.  Look,  my  Lord  Weymouth.  Do 
you  know  the  face  ? " 

He  took  the  little  case  from  her  hand,  and  ex 
amined  it  long  and  closely,  carrying  it  into  the  full 
blaze  of  the  sconces  on  the  wall. 


3 $6  IN  KINGS*   HOUSES. 

"  No,  madam,"  as  he  returned  it.  "  It  reminds 
me  strongly  of  some  one  I  have  known  well.  Yet 
I  cannot  place  it,  strange  as  it  seems." 

She  held  the  little  lock  of  hair  tenderly  for  a 
moment.  "  'Twas  cut  from  some  baby's  head,"  she 
sighed,  dropping  it  as  if  it  hurt  her.  "  'Tis  a  tiny 
curl.  But  here  is  this  ring.  Can  you  make  any 
thing  of  that,  my  lord  ? " 

Dorothy  behind  the  screen  rose  softly  and  clasped 
her  hands  with  one  imploring  glance  upward.  Then 
she  stood  listening,  with  one  hand  on  her  heart  as  if 
to  still  its  loud,  pulsating  throbs.  The  moment  for 
which  she  had  been  waiting  eighteen  years  had  come 
at  last. 

"Nothing  whatever,  your  Majesty.  If  you  look 
closely,  you  will  see  the  device  is  a  crest  merely,  not 
the  entire  coat  of  arms.  'Tis  a  pity.  Yet  no  doubt 
it  gives  a  clue.  It  may  be  traced  in  due  time." 

As  he  ceased  speaking,  Dorothy,  to  the  astonish 
ment  of  every  one  in  the  room,  her  Majesty  included, 
glided  out  from  behind  the  screen  and  knelt  at  the 
Queen's  feet. 

"Wilt  thou  look  at  this,  my  Queen?"  she  said, 
her  voice  scarcely  rising  above  a  whisper.  "  This  " 
was  a  ring,  the  exact  counterpart  of  the  one  in  the 
pouch,  except  that  it  was  a  trifle  larger,  one  being 
evidently  a  man's  ring,  the  other  a  woman's. 

"  Dorothy,  Dorothy,  what  means  this  ?"  cried  the 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES.  357 

Queen,  while  Robin  took  a  step  forward  as  if  to 
draw  her  away.  What  could  be  the  significance  of 
this  ?  What  could  she  possibly  know  of  this  mat 
ter  ?  How  could  she  have  any  connection  with  it  ? 
Then  he  remembered  her  strange  election  when  he 
first  told  her  this  very  story,  and  he  drew  back  again, 
breathless  and  in  dismay. 

"What  is  it?"  repeated  the  Queen.  "Speak, 
Dorothy." 

But  the  woman  hesitated,  growing  so  white  that 
Lord  Weymouth,  unbidden,  brought  a  glass  of  wine 
from  a  tray  in  the  corner  and  bade  her  drink  it. 
When  her  color  returned,  forgetful  of  all  but  the  one 
thing  she  had  to  do,  she  leaned  forward  with  clasped 
hands. 

"  Look,  my  dear  Lady  Anne  Stuart,"  she  said, 
addressing  the  Queen  by  the  old  familiar  title  of 
long  years  ago.  "  Look !  dost  thou  not  see  the 
ring  I  gave  thee  is  like  the  other  in  all  things  save 
that  it  is  larger  ? " 

"  Yes.  But  what  does  it  mean  ?  I  like  not  mys 
teries.  Speak,  I  command  you.  Speak  out  at  once 
if  you  know  aught  of  this  matter.  Whence  came 
this  ring,  and  how  happens  it  to  be  in  your  posses 
sion  ? " 

"Both  rings  belonged  to  Sir  Henry  Valdegrave, 
please  your  Majesty,"  Dorothy  answered,  her  self- 
possession  returning  under  the  stimulus  of  the 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

Queen's  sharp  questioning.  "  The  miniature  is  that 
of  his  wife,  Lady  Valdegrave,  who  died  twenty-two 
years  ago  last  April.  And  this  —  and  this  —  and 
this,"  she  cried,  rising  to  her  feet  and  turning  to 
Robin  with  all  the  majesty  of  a  sibyl,  while  her  voice 
grew  stronger  and  steadier  with  each  reiteration, 
"this,  my  Queen,  is  their  son,  Sir  Robert  Valde 
grave." 

Even  her  Majesty  rose  to  her  feet  at  this  climax. 
A  low  sound  that  was  like  a  smothered  sob  came 
from  the  little  group  of  ladies  at  the  left.  Lord 
Weymouth  sprang  forward  and  grasped  Robin's 
shoulder,  while  Dorothy,  erect,  her  head  lifted,  her 
eyes  shining,  stood  motionless,  looking  from  one  to 
another. 

Then  Robin,  gently  freeing  himself  from  Lord 
Weymouth 's  clasp,  dropped  on  one  knee. 

"Forgive  her,  I  pray  your  Majesty  to  forgive  her 
and  let  me  take  her  home,"  he  entreated.  "  She  is 
distraught,  madam.  She  has  been  strangely  wrought 
up  for  some  days,  —  ever,  in  fact,  since  I  told  her 
this  story  and  showed  her  the  pouch.  It  hath  upset 
her  wits.  Let  me  take  her  home,  I  pray  you,  and 
end  this  scene." 

Dame  Dorothy  burst  into  tears.  "Oh,  laddie, 
laddie  !  "  she  cried.  "  Beware,  lest  you  mar  all ! " 

She  tottered,  and  would  have  fallen  had  not  Lady 
Anne,  at  a  glance  from  the  Queen,  pushed  forward 


IN  ICINGS'  HOUSES.  359 

a  chair  and  beguiled  her  into  it ;  while  Lord  Wey- 
mouth  strode  forward  and  again  laid  hands  on 
Robin. 

"  Not  so  fast,  young  man,  not  so  fast,"  he  said. 
"  Here  is  matter  that  must  be  sifted.  Your  Majesty, 
have  I  permission  to  cross-question  this  witness?" 
and  his  smile  did  something,  if  but  little,  towardf 
lessening  the  tension  of  feeling  by  which  all  present 
were  held. 

The  Queen  nodded  assent  as  she  reseated  herself, 
and  he  turned  to  Dorothy  with  great  gentleness. 

"  Do  not  be  alarmed,"  he  said.  "  Speak  out  and 
tell  whatever  you  know,  without  fear  or  favor,  Dame 
Dorothy.  As  her  Majesty  was  pleased  to  say,  but 
a  few  moments  agone,  we  are  all  friends  here,  and 
would  know  the  plain  truth.  What  have  you  to  say 
of  Sir  Henry  Valdegrave  ? " 

She  looked  imploringly  at  Robin ;  and  with  a  rush 
of  irrepressible  tenderness,  as  well  as  of  sorrow  for 
the  stress  into  which  he  believed  her  love  for  him 
had  led  her,  he  crossed  the  room  to  her  side,  and 
bending,  took  her  hand. 

Lord  Weymouth  repeated  his  question.  "Tell 
the  story  in  your  own  way,  and  take  your  time,"  he 
added. 

"It  was  Sir  Henry,"  she  said,  after  a  moment's 
delay,  speaking  now  in  a  low,  calm  voice, — for 
Robin's  remark  as  to  the  upsetting  of  her  wits  had 


360  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

steadied  her  as  nothing  else  could.  "  It  was  Sir 
Henry,  who  at  the  time  of  the  Great  Plague,  or 
shortly  thereafter,  got  me  place  as  nurse  to  the  Lady 
Anne  Stuart.  He  was  then  in  the  household  of  his 
Grace,  the  Duke  of  York.  Ever  after  that,  as  indeed 
he  had  been  before,  he  proved  a  true  friend  to  me 
and  mine,  and  made  us  greatly  his  debtors  in  many 
ways.  Sir  Henry  married  late  in  life,  and  his  wife 
lived  but  three  years,  having  borne  him  one  son." 

Her  voice  trembled  for  a  moment,  but  steadying 
herself  by  the  close  clasp  of  Robin's  hand,  she  went 
on: 

"  Troubles  came  at  last,  as  all  the  world  knows ; 
and  he  who  had  served  the  Stuarts  all  his  days  was 
on  the  Stuart  side  then.  That  is  the  long  and  the 
short  of  it. 

"  One  night,  —  it  was  when  I  was  living  alone  in 
Deptford,  my  husband  having  long  been  dead, — 
there  was  a  knock  at  my  door,  and  when  I  opened 
it,  lo !  there  stood  Sir  Henry  Valdegrave,  all  di 
shevelled  and  distraught,  with  a  little  child  in  his 
arms.  He  stepped  in  quickly  and  shut  and  locked 
the  door  behind  him.  The  child  was  sleepy  and 
tired,  and  dazed  with  the  light,  but  it  stretched  out 
its  little  hands  to  me  at  once,  and  I  took  it  to  my 
heart  forever,  —  took  him,  for  that  child  is  standing 
by  my  side  in  your  presence  now." 

Questions  sprang  to  many  lips,  but   Lord  Wey- 


IN  ICINGS'  HOUSES.  361 

mouth  raised  his  hand,  with  an  authoritative  gesture, 
that  silenced  even  Majesty  itself.  "  Hush!  "  he  said. 
"  Let  her  speak  as  she  will.  Go  on,  Dame  Dorothy." 

"Then  Sir  Henry  told  me  he  was  outlawed,  and 
must  flee  for  his  life ;  and  he  begged  me  to  take 
his  child  and  care  for  it,  keeping  his  secret  until  he 
gave  me  leave  to  speak. 

"  Now  all  Deptford  knew  I  was  daily  expecting  my 
little  grandson,  Robin,  from  the  colonies  in  America, 
where  his  father  and  mother  had  lately  died.  But  the 
post  had  just  brought  me  a  letter  from  one  who  had 
the  child  in  charge,  telling  me  that  he  died  on  the 
voyage  over,  and  was  buried  in  the  deep  sea.  This 
no  one  yet  knew,  no,  not  a  soul,  —  and  I  saw  my 
way  clear.  '  Sir  Henry,'  I  said,  '  your  child  shall  take 
the  place  and  name  of  my  son's  son,  who  has  just 
died  on  the  way  to  me.  I  will  care  for  him  as  if 
he  were  my  very  own,  and  keep  your  secret  and  his 
till  you  give  me  leave  to  tell  it,  so  help  me  God.' 

"We  talked  for  an  hour.  Much  can  be  said  in 
that  time  when  the  heart  is  full,  my  lord.  He  told 
me  that,  foreseeing  the  evil  days,  he  had  tried  to 
make  what  provision  he  could  for  his  child  by  the 
sale  of  one  of  his  estates  at  the  north  ;  and  he  drew 
from  some  hidden  place  where  he  had  bestowed  it 
a  small  bag  of  gold  pieces.  '  My  boy  shall  not  be 
a  beggar,  nor  a  pensioner,  while  I  live,'  he  said. 
'Father  Hunt  knows  all,  and  will  be  faithful  unto 


362  IN  KINGS1   HOUSES. 

death.  When  this  is  spent,  he  will  know  where  and 
how  to  get  more.  I  will  send  word  to  you  through 
him  as  I  am  able,  and  he  will  advise  you  about  the 
rearing  of  the  lad  as  he  grows  older.  Yet  ere  that 
time  comes,  all  may  be  well  and  I  at  home  again, 
please  God.' 

"  Then  he  tore  himself  away,  covering  the  child's 
face  with  kisses,  and  wringing  my  hand,  and  was  off 
in  disguise  for  Southampton.  That  is  all,  my  lord. 
I  never  saw  him  again." 

"  But  you  heard  from  him  ? " 

"  Yes.  Several  times  through  Father  Hunt. 
And  as  the  years  went  on,  —  so  many  more  than 
he  had  counted  on,  —  he  sent  money,  now  and 
again,  through  some  unknown  hand.  It  came,  but 
I  knew  not  whence  or  how.  The  child's  purse  was 
like  the  widow's  cruse  of  oil,  my  lord,  —  never  quite 
empty.  But  since  Father  Hunt  died,  now  three 
years  gone,  I  had  heard  nothing  of  Sir  Henry,  and 
I  thought  him  dead.  As  you  know,  he  was  not. 
The  end  came  as  —  Sir  Robert  has  told  you." 

During  all  this  time  Robin  had  stood  behind 
Dorothy's  chair,  one  hand  clasping  hers,  immovable 
as  a  statue.  Dazed,  bewildered,  he  was  as  one  in  a 
dream,  who  is  yet  conscious  that  he  dreams.  Yet 
slowly,  inch  by  inch,  moment  by  moment,  he  felt 
that  the  web  of  a  new  life  was  being  woven  about 
him.  He  knew  that  Dorothy  spoke  but  the  truth. 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  363 

Something  within  him,  some  hidden  pulse  of  his  own 
being,  made  quick  response  to  this  strange  revela 
tion,  and  he  knew  it  was  his  father  he  had  kissed  in 
that  extreme  hour.  Yet  when  Dorothy  called  him 
"  Sir  Robert,"  with  something  in  her  voice,  half 
triumph,  half  pain,  —  a  note  that  he  had  never  heard 
before,  —  forgetful  of  the  Queen,  forgetful  of  Lord 
Weymouth,  forgetful  even  of  Lady  Anne,  who  stood 
a  little  withdrawn  in  the  shadow  of  the  screen, 
scarcely  daring  to  look  up  lest  her  eyes  should  be 
tray  her,  forgetful  of  everything  but  the  long  years 
of  brooding,  watchful  love  this  woman  had  given 
him,  he  fell  on  his  knees  by  her  side,  and  buried  his 
face  in  her  lap. 

"Nay,  nay,"  he  cried,  "Call  me  not  'Sir  Rob 
ert.'  I  am  thy  Robin  till  the  day  I  die !  " 

She  passed  her  hand  tenderly  over  his  dark  hair, 
and  her  lips  quivered,  but  she  spoke  no  word. 

Lord  Weymouth  stepped  forward  and  raised  him, 
whispering,  "  Courage,  lad,  courage  ;  "  then  turned 
to  Dorothy  again. 

"  But  the  two  rings.     What  of  them  ?  " 

"  I  had  nearly  forgotten  them,  sir.  That  night  in 
Deptford,  when  he  brought  the  child  to  me,  Sir 
Henry  took  from  his  finger  the  one  I  gave  the 
Queen,  bidding  me  keep  it  for  —  Robert.  And  he 
showed  me  the  smaller  one,  making  me  see  how 
that  the  device  was  exactly  the  same,  and  telling  me 


364  IN  KINGS*   HOUSES. 

it  had  been  worn  by  his  wife.  Which,  indeed,  I 
knew  without  being  told,  as  I  had  often  seen  it  on 
her  hand.  I  have  nothing  more  to  say,  sir,  save 
that  I  knew  the  picture  as  soon  as  ever  I  set  eyes 
on  it.  I  was  with  my  Lady  Valdegrave  when  her 
son  was  born,  —  and  she  had  that  ring  on  her 
finger." 

There  was  a  moment's  silence. 

"Your  Majesty,  I  resign  the  witness,"  said  Lord 
Weymouth.  "The  chain  of  evidence  seems  to  me 
complete." 

Taking  Robin's  hand,  he  led  him  to  the  Queen's 
feet,  where  he  knelt  silently,  his  eyes  cast  down,  his 
lips  compressed  but  tremulous. 

Thus  far  Anne  had  given  no  intimation  of  her 
purpose,  or  even  of  her  feeling.  The  stillness  grew 
appalling,  as  moment  after  moment  passed,  for  there 
was  not  an  audible  breath  or  motion.  Dorothy  had 
risen  and  was  leaning  forward,  her  face  white  as 
marble,  with  yearning  eyes  fastened  on  the  two. 
Lord  Weymouth  had  withdrawn  a  little,  and  stood 
motionless,  but  the  hand  that  rested  on  the  high 
mantel  trembled.  The  ladies  were  in  tears,  —  all 
but  Little  Lady.  She  was  past  tears. 

One  person  only  —  Lord  Weymouth  —  saw  that 
the  Queen's  silence  grew  out  of  her  emotion.  Sec 
onds  counted  for  hours  as  she  toyed  with  her  fan, 
compressing  her  lips,  and  not  even  glancing  at  the 


IN  ICINGS'  HOUSES.  365 

kneeling  figure  before  her.  Then  suddenly,  as  with 
an  effort,  she  threw  the  fan  aside,  and  laid  her  hands 
on  Robin's  shoulders  as  he  knelt  before  her. 

"Child,"  she  said,  "it  was  not  I  who  made  your 
father  an  outlaw.  It  does  not  become  me  to  decide 
as  to  who  was  right,  or  who  was  wrong,  in  the  first 
place.  But  he  was  slain  in  my  service;  and  so  for 
his  sake,  and  for  my  son's  sake,  who  loved  you,  and 
for  your  own  sake,  because  I  know  you  to  be  noble 
in  word  and  thought  and  deed,  I  restore  to  you  your 
father's  dignities,  and  the  estates  he  forfeited  to  the 
crown.  Rise,  Sir  Robert  Valdegrave,  and  would  to 
God  my  Gloster  were  alive  to  see  this  day !  " 

Leaning  forward  she  kissed  his  forehead.  "  Rise, 
child,"  she  repeated,  softly.  Then  as  he  obeyed  her 
mutely,  and  stood  before  her,  white,  dazed  and 
trembling,  she  rose,  also,  and,  beckoning  to  her  ladies, 
left  the  room. 

Dame  Dorothy  had  disappeared,  without  a  word 
or  sign.  Only  Lord  Weymouth  and  the  new  Sir 
Robert  were  left  in  the  green  and  silver  chamber. 


CHAPTER    XXVIII. 

IT  was  the  morning  of  August  2,  1714.  Rane- 
leigh,  the  fair  estate  of  Sir  Robert  Valdegrave,  was 
never  fairer  than  it  was  that  day,  when  over  the 
whole  wide  landscape,  hill,  and  valley,  winding 
river,  fertile  meadows,  and  deep  green  forest,  hung 
the  soft  haze  of  lingering  summer.  Afar  to  the 
right  the  horizon  line  was  broken  by  cathedral 
towers,  grand,  sombre,  majestic.  To  the  left  there 
was  a  glimpse  of  the  blue  sea,  shimmering  in  the 
sun  ;  while  at  the  foot  of  the  long,  sloping  descent 
of  Raneleigh  Hill  nestled  the  village  buried  in 
masses  of  verdure,  above  which  soared  the  spire 
of  its  old  gray  church. 

On  the  lawn  in  front  of  the  stately  Elizabethan 
mansion,  a  white-haired  woman,  in  a  purple  gown 
opening  over  a  gray  petticoat,  was  caressing  a  little 
child. 

"  Wait  thee,  now,  and  be  patient,  laddie,"  she  said. 
"  Hark !  Dost  thou  not  hear  old  Fanuella  coming 
around  from  the  stables  ?  Listen !  Her  hoofs  go 

366 


IN  KINGS'  HOUSES.  367 

craunch,  craunch,  on  the  gravel.  Thy  daddy  will 
give  thee  a  ride  presently." 

In  a  moment,  Sir  Robert,  followed  by  Fanuella, 
came  around  the  corner,  and  Dame  Dorothy  led  the 
little  boy  to  his  father. 

"  Come  on,  youngster,"  he  said.  "  Up,  now,  like 
a  bird  !  There !  Cling  to  her  well,  lest  you  tumble. 
If  nothing  will  do  but  you  must  mount  Fanuella,  see 
that  you  hang  on." 

"  Careful,  careful !  Keep  fast  hold  of  the  bridle, 
Robin  ! "  called  Lady  Anne  from  the  terrace,  where 
she  was  arranging  a  tall  vase  of  lilies.  "You're 
not  to  be  trusted  with  that  child,"  and  she  turned 
a  half  laughing,  half  anxious,  face  towards  him. 

"  Never  you  fret,  Little  Lady.  I'll  not  let  him 
break  his  neck,  —  which,  by  your  leave,  is  as  pre 
cious  to  me  as  to  you.  Neither  will  Fanuella.  She 
is  trustworthy,  if  I  am  not." 

Turning  to  her  flowers  again,  she  laughed  by  way 
of  answer.  "  See  the  lilies,  Robin !  Are  they  not 
lovely  this  morning  ?  " 

"They  are  like  the  great  sheaf  you  gathered  in 
the  garden  at  Windsor  that  other  August  day  so  long 
ago,"  he  answered.  "  How  much  has  changed  since 
then !  " 

"  Hast  thou  any  news  yet  ? "  asked  Dorothy,  in  a 
low  voice,  stepping  from  the  velvet  greensward  to 
the  gravelled  path,  and  smoothing  Fanuella's  mane, 


368  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

while  the  boy  spurred  her  impatiently  with  his  small 
heels. 

"Not  yet.  I  sent  Mat  over  to  Brently  early, 
when  the  sun  was  scarce  four  hands  high,  but  he 
has  not  got  back.  Ah !  There  he  comes  this 
minute,"  as  Mat  Hansel  galloped  up  from  the  lodge 
with  a  package  of  letters  and  papers.  "  Down  with 
you,  little  man.  Daddy  has  something  else  to  at 
tend  to,  now." 

But  the  little  man  whimpered. 

"  Let  me  have  the  young  master  and  he  shall  not 
lose  his  ride,"  said  Mat,  lifting  him  to  the  saddle 
again.  "  And  then  I  will  take  him  around  to  Betty. 
Go  you  in,  Dame  Dorothy,  for  I  fear  me  I  brought 
bad  news." 

Sir  Robert  had  torn  open  his  letters,  and  was 
rapidly  glancing  through  them,  while  Lady  Anne 
leaned  on  his  shoulder.  Her  face  had  lost  the 
slight  veil  of  sadness  that  had  shadowed  it  in  her 
early  girlhood.  As  she  stood  by  her  husband's  side, 
in  her  superb  womanhood,  she  was  almost  as  tall  as 
he.  Literally,  as  well  as  figuratively,  they  —  to  use 
Lord  Weymouth's  words  —  looked  in  each  other's 
eyes  level-fronted. 

"  Well,  what  say  the  despatches  ?  How  is  it  with 
her  this  day?"  asked  Dorothy,  as  she  came  up  the 
steps,  and  joined  them  on  the  balustraded  terrace. 

"  Sit  here,  dear  heart,"  and   Sir   Robert  drew  a 


IN  KINGS1  HOUSES.  369 

chair  forward.  "It  is  as  we  feared.  All  is  over. 
Our  dear  Queen  died  yesterday  morning." 

"God  rest  her  soul,"  said  the  older  woman,  while 
the  younger  was  silently  weeping.  "  111,  childless, 
and  a  widow,  life  hath  gone  hardly  with  her,  for 
all  her  high  estate.  Children,  give  thanks  for  her 
that  she  is  at  rest." 

"Aye,"  said  the  young  master  of  Raneleigh, 
"hear  what  our  good  Doctor  Arbuthnot  says  in 
this  letter,  — « I  believe  sleep  was  never  more  sweet 
to  a  weary  traveller,  than  death  was  to  her.'  Yet 
it  seems  hard  that  she  could  not  have  lived,  now 
that  the  long  wars  are  over.  Through  all  these 
years,  it  hath  been  she  who  hath  stood  steadily  for 
peace,  —  peace.  She  hath  cried  out  against  blood 
shed,  and  wept  over  the  slain  of  her  people,  as 
Rachel  wept  for  her  children.  And  now  that  the 
land  is  at  rest  she  is  not  permitted  to  behold 
it." 

"  Neither  her  children's  children,  nor  peace  upon 
Israel,"  said  Dorothy,  with  a  slow  shake  of  the  head. 
"I  wonder  was  it  a  judgment,  as  she  sometimes 
thought  ?  Yet  I  know  she  grieved  for  her  young 
brother.  She  sorrowed,  —  she  sorrowed.  Robin, 
what  dost  thou  think  ?  Hath  he  any  chance  at 
the  throne  now  ? " 

"Not  the  slightest.  Tis  said"  —  and  here  the 
voice  was  lowered ;  there  were  many  things  in  those 


370  IN  KINGS'  HOUSES. 

days  of  which  men  spoke  only  in  whispers.  "Tis 
said  his  Royal  Highness  hath  been  in  London  lately, 
even  if  he  be  not  there  at  this  minute,  and  that 
her  Majesty's  heart  yearned  over  him.  There  were 
those  in  high  places  who  thought  his  succession 
might  be  brought  about,  —  for  we  Englishmen  like 
not  that  foreigners  should  reign  over  us.  I  have 
been  approached  myself  more  than  once.  But  as 
for  the  young  prince,  even  though  he  be  lovable 
as  men  say,  yet  is  he  not  to  be  trusted  in  great 
affairs.  The  reins  were  in  his  hands  even  now, 
and  he  failed  to  grasp  them.  George  I.  is  already 
proclaimed,  and  no  Stuart  will  ever  again  sit  on  the 
throne  of  England." 

"  Unstable  as  water,"  cried  Dorothy,  throwing  up 
her  hands  with  a  long  sigh.  "  'Tis  a  fated  race,  yet 
oh,  how  well  beloved  !  " 

"  Let  us  talk  no  more  of  it,"  said  Robin.  "  'Tis 
all  over  now.  Weep  no  longer,  Anne.  Why, 
sweetheart,  I  did  not  think  thou  wouldst  so  take 
this  death  to  heart.  Didst  thou  then  love  the 
Queen  so  much?" 

"  Nay,  'tis  not  that,  'tis  not  that  alone,  though 
I  learned  to  know  her  better,  and  to  love  her  as  I 
never  did  before,  after  that  night  when  she  laid  her 
two  hands  on  your  shoulders,  and  said,  'Child,  it 
was  not  I  who  made  your  father  an  outlaw.'  Those 
words  kid  my  father's  shade,  too.  But  I  was 


IN  KINGS'   HOUSES.  3? I 

thinking  of  them  all,  —  of  those  two,  and  of  the 
mighty  hosts  that  have  marched  to  their  deaths 
as  proudly  and  gaily  as  to  a  revel,  if  the  Stuart 
did  but  call.  And  'twas  all  for  naught,  all  for 
naught ! " 

"  Not  so,  not  so ! "  cried  her  husband,  drawing 
her  yet  closer.  "As  long  as  valor  is,  and  loyalty 
and  devotion  endure,  so  long  shall  the  noble  men 
who  followed  the  Stuarts  to  defeat  and  death  live 
in  the  hearts  of  mankind.  'For  naught?'  Nay, 
cease  your  crying,  Anne.  They  are  all  at  peace 
now,  —  your  father  and  mine ;  the  slayers  and  the 
slain.  God  rest  them  !  " 

For  many  minutes  they  sat  in  silence,  the  three 
whose  lives  had  been  so  strangely  linked  with  that 
of  the  dead  Queen. 

"  Dear  heart,"  he  said  at  last,  turning  to  Dorothy, 
and  addressing  her  by  the  tender  name  he  had  given 
her  since  "  granny  "  had  been  handed  down  to  Rob 
ert  the  second.  "  Dear  heart,  when  thou  dost  tell 
my  boy  thy  stories  of  '  kings'  houses,'  even  as  thou 
didst  tell  them  to  his  father,  teach  him  to  hold 
Queen  Anne's  name  in  reverence,  not  only  for  what 
this  house  owes  her,  but  for  the  good  she  did  her 
people,  and  the  greater  good  she  willed  to  do.  Tell 
him  she  left  behind  her  a  united  people  at  peace 
with  all  the  nations.  Tell  him  of  Gloster,  and  of 
the  love  we  bore  each  other.  Tell  him  of  our 


3/2  IN  KINGS1  HOUSES. 

tender  compact  made  in  thine  own  old  garden. 
Tell  him  — " 

His  voice  broke. 

"  Let  us  go  in,"  he  said,  rising  abruptly. 

The  three  entered  the  wide,  lofty,  oak-raftered 
hall,  and  the  door  swung  to  behind  them. 


THE    END. 


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